Plague
by kitty-moogles
Summary: PostLK, KelxLerant. Stranger things have happened. Probably. Well, probably not. But somehow it's going to happen anyway. Chapter 9 is up, to celebrate my third anniversary at this site!
1. Greetings

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**ONE: Greetings  
**

"No, Peachblossom!" Kel scolded as her gelding lunged at Faleron's mare for the third time that afternoon. The Lady Knight cast an apologetic look to her new comrade; Faleron of King's Reach grinned back, amused.

"Don't worry about it."

Kel shook her head, knowing he liked watching her struggle with Peachblossom's attitude (why he had been called Peachblossom in the first place was a mystery to her - a more appropriate name might have been "Brute"). Glad that Faleron was so tolerant and easy-going, Kel led Peachblossom onwards. At first she had been dismayed to hear she wouldn't be with Neal or any of her closest knight friends on this assignment - Faleron had been so busy recently that they'd barely talked - but she was beginning to learn things about him, and so far his company had been enjoyable. One thing she had noticed, though, was that he was much quieter than he had been before his knighthood. She supposed something had happened after that to make him more thoughtful and patient, though she never asked about it.

Looking ahead, Kel calculated they would reach their destination in under an hour. It was hard to contain her excitement; she would be spending the next month or so with the Third Company of the King's Own. In particular she was looking forward to seeing Raoul, who was like a second father to her, and Dom, who was, among other things, _very _attractive. And, from what Kel had heard at the palace, there would be some interesting battles ahead.

Some of the nobles from local fiefs in the area had dubbed it "the plague". Immortals had begun to leak out of Tusaine a few months ago, at first a trickle, now an all-out flood. The mountains in the east of Tortall had become saturated with them, and once that land was full, the immortal creatures had started to venture out into inhabited land, causing trouble for people there. Several villages had already been overrun and viciously attacked before Third Company arrived. A temporary camp was built. Third Company now faced battles with all sorts of immortals every day. Kel and Faleron were being sent out to help for a month, or maybe more, depending on how long it took for the King to confer with Tusaine's ruler and find out exactly what was going on.

Just under an hour later, as Kel and Faleron rode into the small camp, the well-known Lady Knight found old friends waving to her, people she recognised from her time with them as a squire. Faleron observed silently and patiently as greetings were exchanged and a raven-haired man took them to Raoul. The huge man was sat at a desk in a makeshift office, examining maps, and stood when they entered. His coal-black mess of hair was even more rumpled than usual - he looked tired.

"Ah, Kel!" he greeted cheerfully. "You've arrived. How was the journey?"

"Not bad, sir," Kel replied warmly, smiling at her old knight-master. "The weather held out like we hoped, but Peachblossom was being difficult all the way."

"Your poor horse," Raoul said sympathetically, patting Faleron's shoulder. "Don't worry, though. We made a _special _stable for Peachblossom a couple of leagues away. We're going to get a really, really long stick and --"

Kel decided to interrupt, used to this sort of thing. "That's all very well, but can we talk of more important matters? We've all heard these Peachblossom jokes before..."

"We had a long ride, and personally I'd like to see a proper bed," Faleron added swiftly. "Can't the talking wait?"

"The man's right, Kel, rest first. Talk will come later. I'll send for you when I have some time this evening." Slowly Raoul returned to his chair, smoothing out the map in front of him with his massive hands. "Lerant! Come show our guests their rooms!"

Lerant of Eldorne appeared in the doorway. Seeing Kel, he scowled. She ignored him. "Oh. It's _you,_" he said venomously. Kel shook her head - obviously he hadn't changed much from the arrogant and envious man she had first met at the age of fourteen. His appearance wasn't much different, either; his floppy brown hair, shorn short at the sides, fell over his forehead almost exactly as it had done years ago, and his gaze was still slightly cold. However, his chin was more stubborn than she remembered, and his skin more tanned. She also guessed he'd gained a small amount of height, but Kel was still taller than him. Apparently his attitude was not much different either, although she'd thought they'd almost become friends at the end of her squire years. It seemed that, over Kel's time away, he had reverted to old ways. Why, she wasn't sure - it wasn't like she was a threat to his place in Third Company anymore. Knights travelled and worked with the Own all the time.

"Yes, it's me," she answered sweetly, with her best fake smile. "Aren't you glad I'm back?"

Lerant smirked at her. "Only in my nightmares."

Raoul caught Faleron's gaze and rolled his eyes. "Stop bickering, you two!" he ordered, the table creaking as he leaned his arms upon it. "You're disturbing me. Don't you know a dismissal when you hear one? I thought it was clear as day."

"Sorry," Kel apologised sheepishly. Lerant led them out the door and down a hallway. The building had been thrown up quickly, so some of the woodwork was not as good as it could have been - _but it's certainly far better than mine, _Kel thought, remembering days of blisters and blood beneath her nails from her awful aim with a hammer. Kel looked at some of the doors they passed - all plain wood, almost indistinguishable from each other. She wondered if Lerant knew where his room was, let alone hers or Faleron's.

She noticed he was looking at a note, a tiny ripped scrap of paper in his hand. "Just my luck," he was muttering. "Next to mine and all." He stopped in front of one door. "King's Reach, this one's yours. And here's your key." Lerant dropped it into Faleron's hand. Then he took a step towards the door on the right and continued, "and Mindelan, looks like this one's yours. Enjoy." Turning, he threw the key at her and then turned on his heels and strode off, scrunching up the note and shoving it in his pocket.

Faleron raised his eyebrows at Kel. After a thin smile, she explained, "Because he's related to Delia of Eldorne, people aren't so nice to him. It's made him bitter, especially to newcomers. And me."

"Ah," Faleron said. They watched Lerant as he pushed open the door and left the building, scowling all the way. "Has he always been like this?"

"I don't know," Kel told him slowly. "I mean, he was worst when I first met him as a squire. I think he thought I was trying to take his place, when he didn't have anywhere else to go. But we were almost friends, later. He was nicer then."

They were both silent for a moment, contemplating him. "About time I got round to that nap," Faleron decided eventually. "I'll see you later." He unlocked his door and walked in. Kel heard the lock click again moments later, and decided it was time she went into her own rooms. Whoever had taken Peachblossom and Faleron's mare to the stables had also left her saddlebags and glaive outside her door, so she gathered them up and entered her little room.

Inside there was a small bed with plain white sheets, a desk, a pair of roughly-carved shelves and a small chest. It was only just big enough to fit everything in, and it was a plain sight, almost all the same local wood. On the wall next to her bed there was a small window, with the shutters closed tight. Kel opened them to let some light in. Then she dropped her saddlebags onto her bed, sighed, and began to unpack.

It was beginning to get dark outside. Kel was setting out some spare sets of clothes in the chest when there came a knock on her door. Opening it, she found Wolset standing there, smiling at her. "Hello, Kel."

She gripped forearms with him, remembering various battles where he had fought by her side. "How're things?" she asked, grinning at her old comrade.

"Good. We saw some action yesterday - but that's beside the point. Raoul sent for you."

Kel nodded swiftly. "And you've told Faleron?"

"Yes, he's just waking up," Wolset informed her. From the next room Kel heard a loud yawn, and she grinned broadly. "You remember the way to Lord Raoul's office, don't you?"

"I think so," she said unsurely, trying to recall the walk there.

"After you're done, come down to the mess. We're going to have a welcome-back party for you - everyone will be there."

Kel snorted. "What, even Lerant?"

"Sure!" Wolset laughed. "He's missed you, really!"

Kel chuckled. Everyone knew that she and Lerant had always had a kind of rivalry, although Lerant was the only one who actively played the part. Kel had taken advantage of this on numerous occasions, letting him "beat" her to Raoul's horse or armour because she was far too busy to do those things herself. She had also often played up to her role in the rivalry to annoy Lerant. The men of Third Company liked that. "Missed me? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. But of course I'll come. Now I have to go - Raoul will be waiting."

After dragging Faleron (who was still yawning and trying to smooth his bed-hair) down the hall, they eventually managed to find Raoul's 'office'. He briefed them; they'd spent at least a month at the camp, helping in battles and just generally around the camp. If, Raoul explained gravely, the flow of immortals did not slow or cease, they would have to get reinforcements. It was most likely that several Rider groups would join the camp, if need came. Raoul also talked of aiding local towns and villages who might require their help. "That's about it," Raoul said finally, glancing wistfully out the door. "I'd like to join you and the men, but these papers demand my attention." He waved them off, saying he'd be at the mess as soon as he could to join the welcoming.

Kel and Faleron split when they walked past the building that housed their rooms - Faleron wanted more sleep. "You can introduce me to everyone tomorrow," he said sleepily, trailing back to his room. Kel couldn't help but wonder if he just didn't want to attend the party, being a lot less social and rowdy than he had been as a page. But he did look tired, so Kel dismissed it. To find the mess hall she only had to follow the sound of shouting and raucous singing; it seemed that Third Company had got their hands on some alcohol.

As she entered, several men shouted her name, all shuffling up on their benches to allow her somewhere to sit. Someone shoved a bowl of stew towards her, spilling half of it on the table, and a few tables away, someone recklessly lobbed a spoon, which hit Qasim in the back of the head. He passed it to Kel, grinning. Remembering how hungry she was, Kel tucked into her meal, glad for something warm. She was swarmed around as people welcomed her, asked her of the ride to their camp or about Faleron. Kel searched for Dom over the heads of them all, but didn't see him. Wolset was also absent.

"Looking for someone?" Qasim asked finally. He'd been watching her scan the room for several minutes.

Kel fought back a blush rising to her cheeks. "I haven't seen Dom at all today."

Qasim nodded, leaning over the table so he didn't have to shout. "He likes the later shifts on scout duty," the Bazhir told her. "And he's tired from battling - he won't be coming tonight. Tomorrow he will be awake. You will see him soon."

Kel nodded. _Tomorrow, then._

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**Hello again :) it's been a while since I've posted anything on this site. Or, indeed, updated anything... -looks guilty-  
Well, life has been really hectic. But, anyway, it's my first anniversary of joining so I thought, I'll work on a story to celebrate! Kel/Lerant was one of my favourite pairings from my drabble series Euphoria, so I decided to make it that. And the pairing won't change. Even if Dom tries to get in the way.**

**If there are any mistakes, please forgive me. Recently we had to wipe our computer's hard drive because our graphics card malfunctioned, and I haven't had time to reinstall any word software with a spellchecker. I've been using notepad (heh) to write everything. Anyhoo, it's good to be back. I'm looking forward to some feedback so don't let the weird pairing stop you from reviewing (please?)...  
**


	2. Déjà Vu

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**TWO: ****Déjà Vu**

"You already met Lerant. He's the standardbearer." Faleron nodded to Lerant, who stared back coldly. Kel ploughed on. "This is Wolset. He's a corporal in Dom's squad. So is Fulcher, here." Kel pointed at the two men, eating their porridge on the other side of the table.

Faleron looked at her blankly. "Who's Dom?"

A dark-haired man who had just arrived put down his breakfast beside Kel and struck a pose, catching almost the entire room's attention. "Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle, famed commander of the second squad from Third Company of the King's Own! Dashing, strong, skilled - also rather unfortunately related to Sir Nealan of Queenscove, although I am in no way as empty-headed or _evil_ as he is." He flashed a dazzling smile across the room.

"You forgot to mention how incredibly _modest _you are," Kel put in, which brought a laugh from the other men. Dom scowled at her and sat down. Kel continued on to Faleron, ignoring Dom completely. "Nothing I can say about him that hasn't already been said, although dashing, strong and skilled weren't words _I _was going to use." She grinned to herself - privately that had always been her own opinion of him, not that she'd ever tell anyone that - and tried to recall the name of the next man to be introduced to Faleron.

Before she could, Dom turned to her with a wicked expression. Kel found herself looking at the face she'd admired ever since she'd met the man who owned it, and wondered fleetingly how long it had been since she had last seen him. Months? At least half a year. Kel knew she had missed him. "Yes, Domitan?" she asked sweetly, crushing her attraction to him as best as she could.

"Oh, nothing, Keladry dearest - I was just pondering how very good it is to see you after so long!" he replied, equally as cordial.

Kel rolled her eyes, aware half the table was watching. She changed her tone from sweet to bitter. "If only I could say the same to you, _Domitan_."

Dom grinned and said, "Actually, I only said it to be polite. Best way to make a maiden swoon, I've found."

Kel was struggling for an answer when Lerant interrupted coldly. "She isn't a maiden, Masbolle, she's a Lady Knight. Get some new tactics."

Their entire table turned to stare at the standardbearer. Dom was his closest friend in the company - they always worked well and joked together. But this wasn't a joke; it wasn't even a scrap of sarcasm. Lerant was staring at Dom icily. The other tables continued to chatter, oblivious, but Kel's table was deathly silent.

"Can someone pass me the honey?" Faleron asked eventually, breaking the uneasy silence. With audible sighs of relief, the small pot was passed up to Faleron and the men began to return to their conversations. Swamped with chatter, Kel didn't see Lerant leave until he was walking out the door. Any tension that had kept a grip on the table dissipated as soon as he was gone.

"Well," began Dom slowly, "that was..." He trailed off, unsure what to say.

"You'll be late," Fulcher reminded him. Dom nodded, throwing his spoon into his half-full bowl of porridge. He began to get up.

"Coming, Kel?"

She looked up at him, confused. "Me? Where?"

"Sorry, didn't I tell you?" he said, picking up his bowl. "I put your name up with mine for scout duty now. I didn't think you'd mind."

"No, of course not," she said automatically, lifting a leg out from beneath the table. Scout duty with Dom - just the thought of it made her giddy. Almost like old times. _This is stupid! _she thought as she walked with him to hand in their bowls and spoons. _I'm supposed to be an adult now, mature, and I'm still mooning over him like I did when I was young! But... in a funny way, I don't want it to stop…_

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"Lerant has been... well, different. I think your friendship did him good, and when you went away, he went cold again."

Kel scanned the trees in front of her with her spyglass. "We never had a friendship, Dom. It was a rivalry."

"A _friendly _rivalry," he corrected. "At least, it was at the end. He was plain mean at first."

Kel sighed and put down the spyglass, looking at Dom directly. "Well, you know Lerant better than I do, but I don't think he was ever different when I was there. I don't think he would've changed when I left, either. Maybe I'm wrong, but..." Kel stopped. She couldn't say these things - she barely knew him. "Well, maybe I _am_ wrong. You tell me."

Dom shook his head. "He did go cold. I think being stuck here with all the same people bothers him. We don't work or travel with others often, and when we do, Lerant is too withdrawn for any friendship to form before they go away. You stayed for years. That's how long it takes him to make a friend, Kel, sometimes even longer."

Kel shrugged and rubbed her hands together. The air had a chill to it that suggested winter was approaching. She hadn't thought to bring her gloves.

"Outsider influence did him good. I think he was convinced that everyone outside Third Company think bad of him because of his aunt's treason. But you don't. You showed him wrong, made him think properly. All the men saw that he was warmer while you were Raoul's squire. He was happier. I think he missed you and your reminder that not everyone outside is so judging. Maybe that's why he had that 'outburst' - he's protective of you, 'cause you're kinder than most."

Kel laughed out loud at that, almost nervously. What Dom was saying, it did make sense, in some strange way. And that was almost scary. "Dom, you're reading into this far too deeply. Lerant isn't protective of me - he doesn't even like me. And I don't really care. In the mess, that was just him being bitter, trying to spoil things. That's all."

Dom recognised that Kel was ending the subject, so he moved on. "Well, even if he didn't miss you, I did."

Kel melted.

After their shift ended, they parted to other duties. Kel was almost glad she wasn't on latrine duty with Dom, but she missed his company and the way he could turn the grimmest moments into lighter ones. Even shovelling soggy excrement out of huge, stinking holes could be fun if he was there cracking jokes (and they had pegs to hold their nostrils shut from the smell). Instead Kel was chopping wood with Lofren, a member of Dom's squad. He was also a magistrate's son, and talked of law for the entire hour. Kel thought she would have gone insane if the shifts were any longer.

She then had an hour of free time, which she spent practising archery with her bow. There were too many airborne immortals for Kel to neglect her bow skills, which hadn't been properly tested in years.It showed, too; the first ten minutes were a terror, only four arrows embedding themselves in the target - the rest went stray. _The griffin-feather arrows were probably the only thing that kept my aim true, _Kel thought, more than regretful at the deterioration of her accuracy. Over time, her old skill returned, though she knew she required further practice. Kel made a promise to spend as much spare time at the make-shift archery range as she could.

Lunch came next. Sitting down with Faleron, they talked of the day so far while eating. Her knight-friend had been hunting and seeing to a small vegetable patch. He said it hadn't been what he'd expected. There wasn't as much battling as he'd thought there would be, although four squads were sent out to a village that reported attacks from winged monkeys and blood-thirsty centaurs. Faleron listened to her account of the morning and offered to practise the bow with her the next day.

After lunch, Kel went out hunting with Aiden's squad. They brought back two deer, several hares and a boar. Then she pulled up potatoes from the vegetable patch and helped prepare the dinner. While this was left to cook over a fire, she went to another shift of scout duty. Dom was also on this shift, and they climbed a small hill to sit at its peak, where they had a decent view of the camp and nearby forest. With the warm sun on her back and Dom's amusing stories, jokes and flirting, the time passed quickly.

"I helped cook tonight's dinner, so I hope you like it," she said, as they walked together to the mess.

Dom looked at her, amused. Kel's heart sped up. "If your cooking is anything like it was when you were a squire, I'm sure I _won't _like it."

Kel glared at him and retorted, "Well, I dread the day _you _get put on kitchen duty. Tell me in advance so I can get a charm against food poisoning."

"Fine, I will!" Dom said, mock-hurt. He strode ahead of her, not replying when she ordered him to slow down.

After eating, Dom offered to walk her to her room. Most of the men, including Dom and the other sergeants, slept in barracks, but those who were important such as visiting knights or leaders of Third Company had their own rooms.

"Why doesn't Lerant sleep in the barracks?" she asked Dom as they stepped into the building.

"He helps Lord Raoul with paperwork and all sorts," he explained. "Standardbearer isn't much of a job off the battlefield - that's why he looks after Raoul's horse and armour. He's like a permanent squire. If you were still here, you'd have your own room too."

Kel stopped walking and looked to the door on her right. It looked familiar. "This one's mine," she announced.

"Is it? How can you tell?"

Kel pulled a face and told him, "I _can't _tell, I'll just have to try my key in the door..." She jammed in her key and twisted it. "Yes, it's mine."

Dom gave her one of those smiles that made her insides turn over. "See you at breakfast, then."

Kel watched him go, content. The tingly feeling she always got when he was near was beginning to fade away. Then, just as she was about to turn and enter her room, Lerant emerged from his, papers stacked high in his arms.

He nodded towards Dom's retreating figure. "Don't waste your feelings on him," the standardbearer advised, face blank. "He kissed two rider ladies just last week."

Kel scowled at him, thinking. Were Dom's startling thoughts really plausible? No man would warn their enemy if their emotions were being trifled with - maybe Lerant really _was_ protective of her. But it was more likely that he was lying to place doubts in her mind about her friends. "Thank you for your concern," she said sarcastically, smiling broadly at him.

He shrugged, the papers in his arms wobbling. "Don't believe me, then. I'm just trying to look out for you."

Kel snorted. "Why would you look out for me? We're practically enemies."

Lerant looked at her with cold, hard eyes and then walked away.

Shaking her head, Kel fumbled in her pockets to find her key and entered her room. _Lerant was lying, _she thought. _He doesn't like me and he wants to make me miserable. _But he was friends with Dom, wasn't he? Why would he make up things about his friend? Dom's thoughts earlier that day had turned everything she'd ever thought about Lerant on their head. And, if she was truly honest with herself, it was slightly scary.

Kel didn't bother changing clothes - if there was an attack in the night, it would take precious time to change into fighting garb - before she clambered into her bed. The straw-stuffed mattress below her was lumpy but good after days on end sleeping on the hard ground on the ride east. Then she stared up at the ceiling, still trying to convince herself that Lerant was lying.

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** Hello again! Hope this chapter is satisfactory. And thanks for the reviews! Wasn't expecting very many due to the pairing and typical post-LK storyline, so I wasn't too disappointed about a lack of them. So, I'm sorry if you were expecting an update sooner. Things are getting busy again. School started again on Thursday, relatives from America have been staying round for a week (leaving tomorrow) etc. Also I don't want to update too fast or there will be an update drought (like on all my other stories...) Thanks for reading, anyway! Feedback appreciated whether it is critique or praise :)**


	3. Believe Me

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**THREE: Believe Me**

Kel scanned the room, searching for an empty seat. _There's a space beside Dom, _she noted absently. _Oh - but..._ She stopped that thought, furious with herself. No matter how much she tried to eliminate the doubt caused by Lerant the night before, it just kept coming back. She'd used every possible argument to convince herself his words were lies, but they wouldn't stick to the point where she could believe them. It just didn't add up - why would Lerant say something like that, whether it was true or not?

Subconsciously she was checking the room, looking for that floppy hair of his. _Oh, stop it! It's none of his business anyway - I can like whoever I want! And even if what he said is true - which it isn't - why should I care anyway? It's not like Dom knows I like him. It's not like Dom has ever kissed _me. _It's not like _I _was going to try and kiss _him... _Dom's allowed to kiss people if he wants, just like I'm allowed to have a shine on him without irritating standardbearers poking their noses in. _Mind made up, Kel marched over to Dom's table and firmly set down her bowl beside him.

"Hey, Kel! I was wondering when you'd get here." Dom patted the bench beside him. "Sit down and eat. I figured you would've said if it bothered you yesterday, so I put our names up for the next shift of scout duty - and a late shift, too."

"Great!" Kel said, fixing a cheery grin on her face. When he looked away, she set her gaze on her porridge and sighed. This would be harder than she'd first thought. To forget Lerant's words was like trying to forget she was attracted to Dom - near impossible.

Half an hour later, though, she settled into his company without any further thought of anything Lerant had said. They joked and discussed all sorts with other members of the Own. During one particular debate over which immortal was the deadliest, Qasim held up a hand, signalling for silence, and looked pointedly over Wolset's shoulder. Confused, Kel squinted. Then she recognised the person her Bazhir friend was staring at.

Lerant strolled past with his porridge. Looking at Kel, and then letting his gaze briefly flicker to Dom, he raised a single eyebrow so high it disappeared beneath the lock of hair that fell sloppily over his forehead. Kel knew he was silently questioning why she was sitting next to Dom after what he'd revealed the night before. His very expression reeked of surprise. She began to slip on her Yamani mask, prepared for some sneering comments, but he was already gone.

Dom nudged her, a curious smile on his lips. "What did he give you that look for?"

Kel winced, thinking, _I know exactly why, _but she lied to him, blurting out the first thing that came to her head. "I have no idea, but it's probably because he doesn't like me..."

"He has been acting strange, these past days," Qasim remarked with little interest in his voice.

"Maybe he's ill or something," Kel suggested hurriedly, hoping to end the conversation. "Now, who has the water pitcher?"

"I do," Wolset announced, passing it to her. As she busied herself with filling up her flask (despite it being three quarters full already), the others immersed themselves in another immortals debate. She breathed a sigh of relief. Lerant had almost attracted far too much unwanted attention. If anyone questioned too deeply and discovered what Lerant had said to her, they might link any strange behaviour from her to his words, and make a guess that she had a crush on Dom. Kel thought she'd die of embarrassment if _that _ever got out.

Having finished her porridge, Kel began to stand. No one else had finished yet. "Dom, I'm just going back to my rooms to fetch my spyglass. Meet you at the wall?"

He nodded distractedly and waved her off, still absorbed in a debate between Wolset and Sergeant Aiden. Kel headed for the table where Lofren and two other men she didn't recognise were washing up with a huge tub of water. She stood and waited while they finished up other bowls. Someone approached on her right; she glanced at them, then turned away, horrified.

"You sat next to Dom," Lerant remarked, staring at her so intensely that she could have sworn someone had just poured a bucket of icy water over her head. He was almost sneering, but it didn't reach his eyes.

She gathered up all the courage she could. "You were lying."

He rolled his eyes. "You have no proof I was lying."

Kel found herself becoming angry. "So?" she hissed, fury getting the better of her. "You don't have anything to prove you weren't, either! In fact, it's far more likely you _were_ lying because you've obviously never liked me!"

He reached forward and thrust his bowl and spoon into the tub of water, splashing one of the men on washing-up duty. Lerant eyed the man's soaking tunic with disinterest before turning back to Kel. "Ask him, then!" he said heatedly, not bothering to keep his voice down. "I don't know one of their names, but the other was Tanaia, from Group Seventeen." He stalked away without looking back.

Throughout the day it was hard to forget what Lerant had told her; she just couldn't find any rational reason for anything he'd said. One of the arguments she used against herself was that he knew she wouldn't have the courage to actually ask Dom about it. _He knows I have a crush on Dom and he's using it against me - he thinks I wouldn't dare risk asking Dom 'cause it might reveal my feelings for him. _But there was still a chance she'd ask, wasn't there? A chance that she'd ask and find out it really was a lie - why would he risk that against Dom, who was supposed to be his friend? _Why doesn't anything Lerant say make sense? _Kel thought furiously.

It was fairly dark outside. Kel was on the late shift of scout duty with Dom, standing up on the walls. This time she'd remembered her gloves, and, as an after-thought, she'd also snatched up a cloak. She was glad for the extra layer. While she marched up and down the tiny pathway of the wall in an attempt to keep her blood moving, Dom stood right at the end with her spyglass, occasionally lifting his lamp to see a little further out into the darkness. She was also using the excuse of trying to keep warm as a way to stay away from Dom a little longer, still pondering what to do about this rider girl's name. Eventually weariness got to her and she rejoined him. Raising her own lamp, she saw his nose was bright red from cold.

"A bit chilly tonight," she said, averting her gaze from his face.

He scowled at her. "_You're_ alright," he said. "I didn't think it would be this cold. You have a cloak."

Kel grinned at him and pulled it closer around her shoulders, making an expression that suggested she was deliciously warm.

"I hate you," Dom said with feeling, narrowing his eyes at her. "Hey, you know, I think that might fit around my shoulders. We could take turns! As I've said before, 'a chivalrous knight shares'!"

"Pah. I don't want your germs on my things!"

"_What _germs?!" he exclaimed loudly. "I don't have germs!"

Kel smirked. "That's not what Neal said."

For several moments, Dom opened and closed his mouth like a gasping fish. Kel saw his knuckles go white as his grip on the lamp-handle grew tighter. "What has that - that _monster _been saying to you?!"

Kel grinned at him and said, "Oh, all sorts. Last week he told me you never wash with Third Company anymore, because once when you were bathing in a river something crawled up your leg and bit your--"

"What?!"

"Oh! And, the week before he told me that, Neal said that once a huge bug landed on your arm and you ate it--"

"THAT WAS A DARE, THANK YOU!"

"--and someone else told me that their friend once walked into your room, and you weren't wearing anything except a helmet--"

"WHO THE HELL TOLD YOU THAT?!"

It was actually Merric (at Haven, when Third Company was visiting, he had become good friends with Wolset, who had been the one to walk in on Dom), but the rider girl's name had been bugging her all day and it just popped out her mouth. "My Rider friend, Tanaia..."

He went pale. "Tanaia? Um, of which group?"

"Seventeen," Kel supplied, thinking she might as well go all the way now she'd let the name slip. "Do you know her?"

He looked out into the darkness. "I think so..." he said vaguely, stumbling over the words. "Her rider group came last week... we were, uh, comrades..."

Kel looked at the floor. From his reaction, she knew he was lying. _So Lerant was right all along. I don't even know why I feel so... I don't know, betrayed... it's not like me and Dom are courting or anything. But, by the way Dom reacted, I think he doesn't want me to find out, like he's trying to keep it secret. Maybe he doesn't trust me. I guess it _is_ his personal life, but it still hurts. I feel like an idiot - lusting after him, when he's thinking of other women - this is worse than when I liked Neal and he was writing poetry to other girls..._

"Heeey," someone whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder. Kel nearly jumped out her skin. "We could hear you two shouting from the barracks! Try your inside voices when you're on scout duty, why don't you?"

Qasim stepped out of the shadows. "It is our shift now. You can go to bed."

"Have fun," Dom said, grinning broadly at them. "Come on, Kel. Want me to walk you to your room?"

Kel swallowed. "No thanks." Dom looked at her, confused. They always walked to her room together - it was on the way to the barracks anyway. "Um, I have to stop by the latrine," she explained, although she'd gone before their shift at scout duty and didn't need to go again. "So, I'll, uh, see you tomorrow." She strode away before he had a chance to ask if something was wrong.

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The next day, Kel was in the line for breakfast when she distinctly heard Dom's voice behind her. Immediately she panicked and sneaked a look over her shoulder. He was three men behind her! _I can't be seen, I can't be seen... _She didn't even know why she didn't want him to see her. When she looked at him, she still felt the same warmth, but alarm mingled along with it. _My head is a mess, _she decided. _I'll just... avoid him for today, and sort things out - and then it'll be fine! Absolutely fine... _Slowly, she bent her knees to take a few inches off her height. Luckily the man behind her was pretty big so she didn't need to hunch over like an old person to avoid being seen.

Somehow she managed to kick all her friends who tried to reply, "She's right here!!" when Dom asked where she was at the table. Inhaling her porridge while hiding beside Faleron, she launched up and dumped her bowl on the washing-up table. Then she escaped the room.

It took a lot of mad dashing to escape Dom through out the day. She was glad to see he hadn't put their names up for scout duty together, but she had to sneakily "edit" a shift of wood-chopping duty that they would have shared if she hadn't changed it. At mealtimes she gobbled up her food and rushed out, hiding in her room whenever she had a spare moment. By the end of the day she'd lost all energy, and trudged back to her room feeling like she was about to die. She couldn't even bring herself to get her key out; she just slumped against her door.

Eventually she thought she ought to go inside her room in case Dom came looking for her. Slowly she glanced to her left, checking for him, and then to her right. Lerant's door caught her eye. _Maybe I should apologise for shouting at him in the mess yesterday... _She took a few moments to gather some courage and then she knocked three times, willing herself not to be overcome by any nervousness.

She heard scuffling and footsteps. The door swung open. Seeing her, Lerant stared and then raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"Um, I'm sorry. You weren't lying. You were right. And - I shouted at you, and didn't believe you when lots of things pointed to the conclusion that you were right all along."

Lerant just looked at her blankly. Then, after a long pause, he said, "You're avoiding Dom, aren't you?"

"Yes, but..." She trailed off. She wanted to say, _but only for today_, but nothing had improved. She still felt like she couldn't face him.

"Well, you might be interested to know that he's coming up the hall behind you."

Kel froze. There was no point trying to get into her room - Dom would know it was her, and she wouldn't even be able to pretend she wasn't there if he knocked on the door. "Lerant," she said urgently, "hide me. Please."

He sighed as if to say, _well, you did apologise... _and opened his door. Immediately she darted inside and backed up into a corner where Dom wouldn't be able to see her if he came to the door. Lerant shut the door and stood before it, waiting. He didn't look at her.

A moment later, another knock came on the door. Lerant took his time opening it. "Yes?" he said emotionlessly.

Dom's voice drifted into the room. "Hey, Lerant... I'm looking for Kel. Have you seen her?"

Lerant appeared to consider the question for a moment. Finally he answered, "No, I haven't."

There was a pause, as if Dom hadn't expected that answer. "Uh, really? Because, I saw you let a woman into your room and I swear she looked just like--"

"I _said _I haven't seen her," Lerant interrupted impatiently. He didn't seem fazed by being so rude to his best friend. "I'm busy. Go look for her somewhere else."

Curiosity crept into Dom's next question. "Who is she?" It seemed he thought Kel was someone else, come to visit Lerant to participate in some nighttime activities...

"None of your business, Masbolle," Lerant spat, slamming the door shut. He moved to the opposite wall and threw open the flimsy shutters on his window, taking a few moments to look outside. Then he turned to Kel. "You can go now."

She remained where she was. "Um, thanks."

"Go away. You're ruining my room."

Kel grinned; that was a typical thing for Lerant to do, masking any sort of friendliness behind a snide comment. "See you tomorrow."

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**Bonjour! How's it going? I hope you enjoyed this chapter... things are getting more complicated! I'm glad because it means things are speeding up. Hopefully next chapter will be up on Friday (by the way, Chapter 4 is the one where things really start to kick off! Aren't you excited?). Writing is on schedule. Thank you for all the nice feedback - reviews are always appreciated. **

**Also, just a warning, I have a couple of English exams the week after next so I'm afraid my update for that week might be late. ****I really screwed my English media studies presentation so I want to revise a lot for the exams.**** I'll try and write extra this week so updates won't be disrupted too much. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Talons

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**FOUR: Talons**

Peachblossom snorted impatiently. Kel patted his neck and shifted to check her sword would slide out easily should she need it.

Nearby, she heard several jeering calls and a mottled assortment of teasing and laughter.

"Gosh, Lerant, you look tired! I wonder what _you _were up to last night..."

"So, Dom says a mysterious woman came to visit your room--"

"--and apparently you were really secretive about her. So, I think it's a village woman - but Corporal Yannick was just giving a very convincing argument..."

The voices faded away as they turned to face someone riding in to the left. Raoul appeared on his warhorse, black Drum, calling for the men's attention. "We have a large attack near Harrickstone. Mainly hurroks, from what the messenger says, so anyone who's a good shot will need to find a protected place to shoot from." He surveyed the seven squads in front of him, plus Kel and Faleron lingering at the back. "We should expect Stormwings, too. And whatever happens, don't let any near the town. They're evacuating, but some are still injured from last week, and moving the wounded is a slow procedure. The ride won't take more than ten minutes." Raoul looked over the group in front of him sombrely and then gave the command to move out.

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Kel was happily hacking and slashing away at the eagle-lion hybrids that fell at her head when a cracking and then a bang echoed over the usual war-noise. Even the hurroks turned to see what the ruckus was; two massive, ugly giants exploded out the forest in front of them, crushing hurroks and men beneath their feet without thought. Trees from the edge of the woods buckled and collapsed as the giants' arms flailed about. They carried huge spiked clubs.

Kel couldn't watch anymore before the hurroks resumed their attack, but later when the tide of them was slowing, she caught a glimpse of Raoul's bloody lance, shining triumphantly beneath the sun. He had run one of the giants through. The other turned and fled back into the forest, a trail of falling trees and disturbed birds left behind in its wake.

Returning to the battle, Kel was too busy fighting to notice Raoul leave after the giant, but she did notice when Lerant left. "Dom!" she said loudly, shielding her eyes from a drizzle that was just beginning to fall. "Lerant's gone into the forest!"

"Leave him be," came the shouted reply. Dom fought off a hurrok with difficulty.

Kel shook her head. Even if they weren't the best of friends, he'd gone after Raoul, and who knew what kind of other lethal immortals were hiding in the forest? He could get hurt. "I'm going after him."

"Kel--" Dom began, but she'd already begun to ride off.

The rain was falling harder, but the trees provided shelter from the worst of it. Kel could hear Lerant thundering through the thrush not far in front of her. He didn't seem to care that anyone could hear him, let alone any_thing. _Kel sighed, exasperated, and continued to follow. _He'll get himself killed, making so much noise! He's lost his mind! _she thought furiously. _A battle is the worst place to go insane._

Kel pushed Peachblossom to go faster, glad the trees weren't too close together. She took a shortcut and eventually caught up with Lerant in a clearing, fallen trees littering the floor. He had found the giant's path and obviously planned to follow it. _Heroics_? Kel thought. _He's planning to kill the giant himself? _

"Raoul!" the standardbearer shouted hoarsely, pausing as his mare sniffed the ground.

Kel slithered out the saddle and took advantage of his lull in movement to chase after him, grabbing his arm and tugging. He fell from the saddle. Half-hysterical at the smell of giant blood, his horse fled through a gap in the trees. Kel's feet sank into the boggy ground.

"Are you mad?!" she cried, trying to keep a grip on Lerant's sleeve. He brushed her off.

"Go back to the battle." His words were calm and deliberate, but he was sweating heavily and a vein on his forehead was bulging.

Kel gritted her teeth. "What in Mithros' name are you doing?! You'll attract the giant shouting your head off like that!"

Lerant glanced at her and replied shortly, "Didn't you hear? The mages say there are at least another three giants in here. Lord Raoul will get himself killed, and I can't let that happen."

Kel considered his relationship with Raoul. It was understandable that he didn't want Raoul to get hurt - Raoul had given him the place in the Own that had probably kept him sane, but still... Kel was also grateful to Raoul for taking her as a squire and teaching her so much, and she wasn't risking her life over him in stupid odds. Raoul wouldn't want that. "So you're going to help him? Alone? Two men can't take on four or more giants!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard. "I know you owe him a lot but you'll both get hurt or even killed! Get a grip and think!"

Lerant shoved her away and began to step over a tree trunk. _He's getting away! _Kel thought, panicking. She grabbed his leg and tugged him onto the muddy floor. And then, suddenly, he was on top of her, looking at her, and then they were kissing.

Kel's mind buzzed with panic. What was she doing? But - she didn't care that she was in the middle of a battle, or that she was rolling in mud, or even that she was kissing _Lerant_ of all people. All that was forgotten. His lips on hers were talons in her stomach, her heart, a ravenous hunger that ripped apart her insides. She was left empty, but desperately, breathlessly craving more.

Some strange, alien emotion rocketed into her body from his, scorching her throat and sending blood screaming to her head. There was nothing like it, Kel decided - not in reality - riding a star, maybe, or perhaps it could be compared to swallowing a rainbow. _Is this love? _Kel thought dazedly, but couldn't fathom how it could be. It wasn't passion, it wasn't pleasure - it was filling some emptiness deep in her soul, and yet emptying it all out a second later. Her brain told her to keep going, but her body repulsed it.

Kel finally pulled away, feeling like her lungs would collapse if she didn't take in some air. Lerant was caked in mud. So was she. But, as she stared at him, wondering at the effects his swollen lips had had on hers, none of that connected with her brain. She just knew that she had never felt anything like that, and she doubted she ever would again.

"What the--" Lerant began, beet red everywhere the mud wasn't. Kel opened her mouth to warn him, but the giant brandished his club and then everything went black.

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"Hey, you! Get up. We need the bed." Someone pulled her up onto her feet.

Kel's squinted, vision slightly blurry. "My head hurts…"

"We already healed your concussion. Drink this and come back if it doesn't help." A mug was jammed into Kel's hand and she gripped it instinctively. The voice that spoke to her was familiar, one of the healers that often worked with Third Company. Kel was ushered outside. Eventually she wandered to her room and sat on her bed.

The tea she'd been given tasted pretty grim, but it helped her headache. Over the pain, though, was a draining exhaustion from the healing. Kel finished off the drink, put the mug on the floor and crawled under her blankets. It took seconds for her to fall into sleep.

When she woke, her headache had completely faded away. Getting up, she threw open the shutters and peered outside. It looked to be a few hours past midday.

"I can't believe I slept so long…" she mumbled to herself. Once she'd wiped the sleep from her eyes, she changed into a fresh shirt and breeches. She was just neatening the blankets on her bed when someone knocked on her door. "The door's unlocked, come in," she called, picking up the mug and putting it on top of her chest.

"Hi," Faleron greeted. "How are you?"

Kel smiled at him, still a little sleepy. "Good. I think I got hit on the head yesterday, but it's all better now."

He nodded, sitting on the edge of her bed. Kel frowned as the blankets became rumpled again. "Yeah. I heard you went after Lerant and a giant attacked you. Lord Raoul appeared and helped Lerant kill it."

Kel paused, remembering the kiss. What would she supposed to do when she next saw him? She didn't think she liked him like _that, _and she didn't think Lerant liked her like that either. _I guess we'll just agree to forget it ever happened. _But – why had it been so mindblowing? Had it been like that for Lerant, too? Kel smoothed her hair and said, "Um, I think I scared off Lerant's horse… did they find it?"

Faleron grinned wolfishly. "Nope," he told her, obviously amused. "But he gets along well with most of the other mounts. Someone died from a wound yesterday. Lerant will have their warhorse."

"Oh." There was a long silence. "Who was it?"

"A new guy. He only joined a fortnight ago."

Kel didn't know him, but any death was sad. They sat quietly for a while.

Faleron broke the sombre silence. "By the way, a messenger is leaving for Corus in a few hours. If you want to send any letters, you should write them now."

"Oh, thanks," Kel said, getting up to find some paper.

"I have my own to write, too, so I should get going," Faleron informed her. Kel bade him goodbye and he left. Then she laid out her writing things on her chest and sat on the bed, leaning over to write.

_Dear Neal,_

_Hello! How're things at the coast? We had some action yesterday – a giant knocked me unconscious. But don't worry; I drank the foul concoction the healers gave me so I'm all better. Other than that it's pretty boring here. Faleron is a lot quieter than I remember… but Third Company is rowdier than I recall. And by the way, when you reply, please don't mention Dom. I'm kind of avoiding him, but don't ask why. So now I'm going to change the subject. _

_How's Yuki? Have you planned a date for the wedding yet? I want to come (but I don't plan on wearing a dress, if you're wondering). As I'm asking these questions I am therefore expecting a reply. Presuming you aren't so busy fighting pirates that you can't write one, in which case I will personally march over there and _make_ you reply. It's the only thing I'm looking forward to. Things over here are really dull._

_If I'm really unlucky, you might be sent with the reinforcements and bring your reply personally. Although I hear Lady Alanna is over there with you, so you'll probably consider yourself lucky to remove yourself from her clutches. Anyway, say hi to everyone over there for me. Hopefully I'll see you soon._

_Love,_

_Kel_

She folded up the letter, slipped it into an envelope and sealed it. Telling him not to mention Dom was probably a mistake as it would probably bait him to ask why she was avoiding him, but chances were he would have said something about him anyway. And saying things were dull – that was just folly. She'd been given concussion by a giant and kissed a man who had always been an enemy of sorts. And she was avoiding Dom and at the same time so rushed off her feet with duties and battling that she barely had any time to think.

Sighing, Kel took another sheet of paper and began another letter.

_Dear Tobe,_

_Hello – yes, I'm still alive. Sorry I didn't write earlier. I don't have much time so this will probably be quite short. So, how is your training? Looking after all the Rider horses must be really difficult, especially apprenticed to Stefan. And how are the sparrows? I expect their numbers have grown since I last saw them. Jump seems to like you a lot because you give him so many treats, so I expect he is fat and you are getting along with him very well too. I will probably be at the border for at least a month or two, but I'll visit you as soon as I arrive in Corus. Good luck with your apprenticeship!_

_Love,_

_Kel_

She was just about to start a final letter to her parents when she was interrupted by a firm knock on the door. Constraining impatience, Kel left her writing things and stepped over to the door.

"Two visitors in an hour. Aren't I popular?" she remarked, if only to hide an intense swell of panic at the sight of Dom in the doorway.

"Can I come in?" he asked. Unusually, he was not sporting the broad grin that usually turned Kel's legs to jelly.

Kel sighed inwardly and let him in. "I have some apple juice from the village, if you'd like some." At his nod, she rummaged in her things, finally pulling out two pitchers and a skin of apple juice. He accepted the drink and looked around for somewhere to sit. "I'm sorry," Kel said quickly, taking a stool from the foot of her bed and putting it in front of her bed. She sat down on the end, opposite him.

He gazed at her very directly, holding his apple juice in his lap. "I get the feeling you've been avoiding me."

"Um, I've been busy," Kel blurted. She didn't even need to say that she'd been hiding from him; that was answer enough. Hiding the look of guilt from her face was too much work, and he'd already guessed she was guilty anyway, so she let it be.

He observed her silently and then jumped to a new topic. "So, how are you? I hear you sustained an injury. Is it better?"

"Yes," she replied, nodding. "I had a headache yesterday, but I drank the tea they gave me and now I'm fine."

Looking at him, Kel felt strangely empty. Then she realised it. The way he gazed at her so directly would have sent her into fits of mad blushing a few days ago. Now she just squirmed under his eyes because she knew she was guilty, certainly not because she found him attractive. He hadn't smiled, but Kel thought she wouldn't feel the familiar butterflies in her stomach even if he did.

"What happened out there, after you went after Lerant? How'd you get injured?"

Kel took a breath. "Uh, Lerant was going after Lord Raoul, to help with the giants. I caught up with him and told him he was mad. And then…" She wasn't sure what to say. Well, mentioning kissing Lerant would be a horrific idea. "…Then the giant attacked. I didn't see until the last minute, though, so it hit at us." Kel took a long draught from her pitcher, trying to moisten her desert-dry mouth.

She hadn't even thought of the kiss that much. There didn't seem much point puzzling over it, as it was so confusing that she thought she'd never reach an answer to why it had happened in the first place. Or why it had felt so -- different. Kel had never felt like that when Cleon had kissed her.

_I bet kissing Dom wouldn't be half as mindblowing as kissing Lerant. _Kel choked on her apple juice as the thought popped into her head. She quickly put down her pitcher and coughed, letting her throat clear. Half the apple juice was down her front from subconsciously spitting it over herself, and the rest had probably been inhaled and was now sitting leisurely in her lungs. Beet-red, Kel looked up at Dom.

He laughed. "What's wrong?" he asked, voice tinted with amused curiosity.

"Um, nothing. I just feel a bit ill. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone." Dom nodded, still a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes, but he followed her to the door without objection. Kel paused, about to open it. Taking a long, deep breath, she asked quickly, "Uh, do you know where Lerant is?"

Dom shrugged. "Probably in his room. Why, is it urgent? I can fetch him for you if you feel too ill to get him yourself."

Kel tried to push away the furious blushing that was heating up her cheeks. "No, don't worry. I thought I'd see how he's doing, but I have a headache." As an after-thought, she added, "Maybe tomorrow." Perhaps, she thought, that would deter Dom from visiting until then – although there wasn't much point in avoiding him if she didn't even have a crush on him anymore.

"Well, I'll ask someone to bring you some food later," Dom told her, halfway out the door.

"Thanks." Kel suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Can you take my letters to the messenger?" _I didn't get to start one to my family. I suppose I'll send an extra-long one next time, _she added silently to herself. Having fetched the letters and handed them over, Dom left and she locked the door behind him. Barely knowing what to do with herself, Kel began to put away her writing things.

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**Aah! I'm so sorryyy... I didn't realise that I had about ten mocks so this update took forever. I had the Maths Challenge and French and Spanish coursework, too. Peh. School gets really hectic in Year 10... And next week I'm going for the BCG jab (vaccination against TB) and I think I'm one of the few people who has to have it this year. Not fair. (So I'll probably complain about it next update). But I miss netball at school, so that's something to celebrate. I really hate team sports and our netball teacher is really horrible. She makes us do drills until our hands are numb. And, FF12 is coming out on the 23rd. Yeah, you guys in America have had it for ages. I hate you...  
**

** Anyway, wasn't this chapter a shocker? Heh. Well, I enjoyed writing it. I couldn't think of any other way to get something to happen between Kel and Lerant, so there we are. If you liked it, please review! I'll be thinking of your reviews when I get stabbed with a huge needle on Monday morning...  
**


	5. Aftermath

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**FIVE: Aftermath**

Kel looked up from brushing Peachblossom and frowned. It looked like a couple of squads were coming in – and, as usual, Peachblossom would probably be mean and snap at them. Warily, Kel put down her brush and put a firm hand on her gelding's back.

Peachblossom lurched for the first horse that passed, though luckily it went un-noticed by the man leading in the victim. Kel attempted to restrain her gelding over the passing of the next ten horses. Then, just as she felt Peachblossom was going to give up soon, Lerant walked in, leading an unfamiliar tan gelding. Completely losing grip on all her common sense, Kel let go of Peachblossom as the last time she'd seen Lerant's face flashed into memory; the moment after they'd kissed.

Peachblossom, though, didn't so much as bare his teeth at Lerant's mount. Instead he watched quite calmly as the tan gelding was led into the stall to the left of Peachblossom's. Kel didn't know what to be more worried about – Peachblossom's odd behaviour or the possibility that she'd always go blank whenever Lerant walked by. She picked up the brush and continued on her gelding's mane, trying to calm herself.

_What should I do? _she asked herself. _I don't know where I stand, what to do next – I guess I should talk to Lerant about it. Even though I'll probably die of embarrassment before we stop insulting each other…_

Gathering herself, Kel breathed deeply and pulled on her Yamani mask. Then she slipped out Peachblossom's stall and leaned against the edge of the one Lerant and the tan gelding were occupying.

"Is this your new horse?" she asked cheerfully, as she might to any one of her friends.

Lerant looked up and scowled at her. In one swift movement, he stepped forward, grabbed a fistful of her tunic and pushed her against the wall. "We aren't friends, so don't talk to me like we are," he hissed. "I was half-mad in the forest. You know I was. Whatever happened there doesn't change a thing, and it definitely—"

"—didn't mean anything. Right," Kel finished for him. Lerant let go of her tunic and continued brushing his new gelding, his eyes firmly locked on the rhythmic movement of the brush in his hand. Slightly dazed, Kel wandered back to Peachblossom's stall and tried to remember what she had been doing before. Her chestnut roan gelding snorted at her sympathetically.

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Kel stirred her porridge. As usual, it was thick and lumpy. And, as she had expected, it offered no answers to her raging thoughts. _I guess he didn't feel anything, then. So why did I? I suppose it was just because I haven't been kissed in so long. Well… I'll just forget about it. I don't care… I'm not some court lady who's always after a man. I have other things to think about, like fighting._

"Hey, Kel. Enjoying your breakfast?"

Dom's voice startled her. "Ah, I'm not really hungry…" she explained, pushing her bowl away. There was no way she could eat; her stomach was still churning from the encounter with Lerant earlier that morning.

"Oh. How's your head?" he enquired, sitting down beside her. He wolfed down a huge spoonful of porridge.

Kel attempted a smile. "It's much better, thanks." She watched him gulp down another massive spoonful and remarked, "You'll get indigestion if you eat that fast."

"Sorry, _mother_," Dom replied sarcastically. "I'm on washing up duty today so I need to be quick."

Kel narrowed her eyes at him. "Tell me you didn't learn that off Neal."

"What, 'mother'?" He grinned broadly. "Of course not. I learnt it from Sir Merric!"

Kel rolled her eyes. "You're appalling, Domitan."

"I know, mother," he replied cheerfully. "If I do all the washing up now, can I go out and play afterwards?"

Restraining the urge to laugh, Kel tried to scowl at him. Dom stood and patted her shoulder. "I'll see you later." He nudged her full porridge bowl towards her hand. "And eat something, otherwise you'll pass out later."

Kel grimaced at her porridge. Faleron, sitting opposite her, caught her eye.

"You don't like him anymore," he said.

Kel stared at him. He had noticed, as well as Lerant? Maybe her Yamani mask was weakening. Kel turned and looked at Dom, scrubbing bowls with a rag. "No, I suppose I don't."

Just as she was about to return to her meal, the mess doors flew open, revealing Raoul standing in the doorway, struggling with his scabbard. He fixed it straight and strode into the hall. "Leave your food and fetch your mounts! A messenger just arrived. Winged monkeys are approaching Tawny village, so get a move on! We're going into battle! Sergeant Aiden—"

The entire room was engulfed in a swarm of men rising from their seats. Dom rushed by Kel's table, grabbing her arm. "You're with my squad today. Come on." As they jogged to the stables, he scrutinised her. "I hope you ate enough," he remarked seriously. "Meathead will kill me if you get hurt."

"I got hurt last time, and you're not dead," Kel replied with a straight face.

He grinned. "I didn't tell him about that, but he'll find out about all your injuries soon."

Kel didn't have the time to ask him why. Having reached the stables, they brought out their warhorses and began to lead them to the north wall where the other men were gathering. On their way they passed Raoul, being strapped into his armour by Lerant. Peachblossom eyed the standardbearer's tan gelding, but didn't react when it snorted at him. When Dom's horse got too close, though, he lunged.

"What's this?!" Raoul asked, obviously shocked. "Peachblossom was actually nice to Lerant's mount! On the way to the village, you two ride next to each other. It'll save the other horses some energy."

Kel froze. Ride with Lerant? _Please, someone tell me Sakuyo laughs… _Why did it have to be Lerant's horse that Peachblossom didn't mind? It wasn't even his horse originally anyway. Before it had probably carried a nice man who minded his own business and didn't blow your brain to pieces if he accidentally kissed you, then say that it hadn't meant anything. Of course it hadn't meant anything, Kel tried to convince herself. Maybe she'd just been mistaken and it was really repulsion she had been feeling.

"Well, we'll see you at the gate," Dom said to Raoul and Lerant. "Be there soon."

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Kel wiped her hands on her breeches and took a deep breath. It was so tense that she half-expected someone to explode. Beside her rode Lerant, stonily glaring ahead as if she wasn't there. They rode at the very back of the others so Peachblossom wouldn't be distracted by horses behind him, and there was a good gap between them and the next horses. Kel wondered why she put up with Peachblossom sometimes. The number of situations and disturbances caused by his attitude towards other mounts seemed to grow by the day.

"Well," she said deliberately, "good weather for a battle, isn't it? No rain, so we'll be able to see—"

Lerant narrowed his eyes at her. Kel took this as a warning and decided not to finish her sentence.

A few moments later, Kel saw Dom veer his horse out of line and fall back. He levelled with Kel and Lerant.

"I hear Peachblossom's made a friend," he grinned, keeping his own distance from Kel's gelding.

Kel smiled weakly. "Well, not exactly…" She glanced across at Lerant; he was glaring at his horse's mane.

For a moment, silence smothered the three warriors.

"Well, at the least the weather's good for fighting airborne enemies," Dom said, too cheerful to be genuine. He looked at Kel unsurely. She shrugged back.

"Yeah, I hate having rain in my eyes."

Dom appeared to take courage from her agreement. He looked towards Lerant. "And no giants this time! Don't go running off after anything else, okay?"

Dom turned pale the moment Lerant's eyes locked with his.

"Yes, well… I should probably take position again. We'll arrive soon." Dom cast an extremely apologetic look at Kel and drove his horse back up the line.

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"Before you used to argue. Now…nothing. Just silence."

Kel frowned. "Well, things change."

"What kind of things?" Dom was lying on her bed, arms behind his head, and looking up at the ceiling.

Kel, sat on the floor applying ointment to her shallow wounds and grazes, shrugged. "I don't know," she said, slightly annoyed at how Lerant managed to worm his way into practically every moment of her life. "Lerant's like a mystery we'll never unravel. No-one knows what's going on inside his head." She couldn't keep the scorn from her voice.

Dom rolled over onto his side to watch her. "That's true, but this is pretty odd, even for him. It's like his attitude to you changed overnight. Did anything happen between you two?"

Kel channelled her impatience into furiously rubbing ointment into a scratch on her leg. "No, not really."

"What do you mean, 'not really'?" Dom shot back.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." This was probably the most outrageous lie Kel had ever told in her life.

"Are you sure?" Dom asked again. "I get the feeling you're not telling me something."

"Well, I haven't noticed anything odd, okay?"

Dom looked at her, unconvinced. "You can trust me, you know."

"I do trust you," she said, sighing. "I just honestly don't know why Lerant is acting this way." That, at least, was true.

"Oh well," Dom said, finally appearing satisfied with her words. "He gets a bit odd sometimes. He'll be right enough soon." He stood and stretched leisurely. "Anyway, I have reports to write so I'll be going. Sleep well, Kel." Dom let himself out.

Kel secured the lid of the healing ointment and put it away. _It's odd not liking Dom anymore, _she said to herself silently. _After so long, it's funny being around him and not going all light-headed when he smiles._

_Funny how I stopped liking Dom right after kissing Lerant_, part of her brain said. Kel paused, then she laughed.

_Don't be stupid, Kel. I stopped liking him because I avoided him. Because of the truths Lerant told me. _Kissing_ Lerant had nothing to do with it. _Relief washed over her. Somehow, she'd been worried that she might actually like Lerant the same way she used to like Dom.

When she clambered into bed, exhausted from the day's battles, Kel fell asleep instantly.

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**Ah, I finally updated! (So quickly after my Alter Ego update, too.) Basically this week is gonna be a doss so no schoolwork to worry about. I did have some arrangements for this weekend but my friend has had to cancel, so I'm free to write this weekend. I've already written about 300 words of Chapter 6, it's starting off quite funny. Before Lerant steps in, of course. Anyhoo, sorry for not updating in so long. And thanks for reviews and stuff. Please continue to give me your support, it really helps. So now I'm off to carry on writing and watch the last two episodes of the Vision of Escaflowne, see you next update (soon, hopefully)...**


	6. Conspiracy

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**SIX: Conspiracy**

"Kel! Kel, get up!"

Kel emerged from her pillow. "Neal?" she said sleepily, squinting at him. "What the—"

"I came just like you said in your letter!" he declared, marching into her room and tearing her bedsheets onto the floor. The warmth she had been enjoying moments earlier was sucked away from her body and Kel pulled her legs up closer to her body to preserve what little was left.

"I never said anything about you coming," she grumbled, sheltering herself from the light pouring through the door with her pillow. Neal grabbed it and began to pull that away too. Kel clung on for a moment, then gave up and let him have it.

"Actually, Kel, yes you did! Remember this? 'If I'm really unlucky, you'll be sent with the reinforcements and bring your reply personally'."

Kel looked at him blankly for a moment. "Yeah. So why are you here?"

Neal shrugged. "I misread 'unlucky' as 'lucky' so I pestered Commander Buri to send me along with the Rider groups coming here. I only realised my mistake halfway here, and then I thought, 'Well, I'm sure Kel will be happy to see me anyway!'" He grinned, appearing extremely satisfied with himself.

"Well, you were wrong," Kel said, turning over to face the wall. "Go away."

His face was suddenly crestfallen, eyes glittering with tears. Kel couldn't fathom how Neal had learnt to cry on cue. "But… but… Kel, aren't we the bestest friends ever? Can't you feel our bond of friendship strengthening even now?"

Kel didn't bother replying.

Suddenly, Neal flung himself onto the bed, trying to hug her. Kel slithered onto the floor out of his range, still only half-awake.

"Leave me alone!" she cried, attempting to escape his clutches. She could barely see due to the blinding light striking her from the window, but she could just make out Neal's silhouette as he lunged at her flailing legs.

"But Kel!" he protested, crawling after her. "Our eternal companionship…!"

Kel was at the doorway; Neal had left her door wide open. It must have been quite late, which was probably the only explanation for why no-one was stood outside in the hallway gawping at them.

Suddenly Neal took hold of her ankle, trying to tug her back into the room. Kel gripped the wall and levered herself out into the hallway.

"I'm serious, Kel, I'll never let you talk to Yuki again!" Neal threatened, pulling her leg harder, but his prisoner ignored him. Kel tried to escape his grip by aiming her other foot at his face, but she couldn't see behind her properly and kept missing. Neal dodged her further attempts, complaining that she might damage his amazing good looks, all the while retaining a strong hold on her ankle. Kel writhed about on the floor in protest.

Someone stepped over her outstretched arm. Kel stopped thrashing about and looked up.

She was expecting some snide remark, something like, "Looks like Mindelan's got a new doormat," or "I'd be grateful if you didn't sprawl yourself across the corridor, Mindelan, this is a military camp, not a human hurdles track."

But Lerant didn't say anything. He just looked down at her coldly and then carried on down the hallway. Kel immediately decided she'd rather he'd spouted one of his insults; the dark, scornful look in his eyes had hurt a lot more than any of his words could. She stared at his retreating back, unable to drag her eyes away.

"Got you!" Neal declared triumphantly, dragging her back into the room. He smothered her in an extremely enthusiastic embrace.

Kel wriggled free of his arms, suddenly sombre. He was sprawled across half her bedding, and part of a report she had to hand to Raoul today was spilled across the floor, crumpled and definitely not in the correct order. That was quite enough in her opinion, but his antics had also caused another ridiculous encounter with Lerant. Kel decided she'd like some privacy to wallow in self-pity for a moment. "If you don't mind, Neal, I'd like to get changed."

"Oh. Okay." He got up, clearly disappointed, and brushed the dust off his breeches. "But I won't be following any more of your orders unless you acknowledge the burning flame of friendship that links us, like the sky links the heavens and the land, a distinct swathe of beauty over our lives, so pale in comparison…"

Kel shoved him out her room, scowling as she did so.

----------------------------------------------------------

Kel put down her food and slid into the seat next to Neal. He had been waving at her frantically ever since she'd entered the mess hall and joined the queue for food ten minutes earlier.

"So, Kel! Soooooo! What's this about Dom?" He brandished a piece of paper in her face.

Kel pretended not to know anything. "What?"

"Don't you remember?" he asked, frowning. When Kel shook her head, he held up the letter in his hands and began to read. "'And by the way, when you reply, please don't mention Dom. I'm kind of avoiding him, but don't ask why.'"

"Do you need to read it out so loudly?" Kel hissed, trying to grab her letter from his hands. She should have known that it was a mistake writing that; of course he wouldn't just dismiss it, but rather make a massive fuss of it. He held the letter out of her reach.

"Care to tell me why you're avoiding him?"

"I'm not," she told him truthfully. (Well, she wasn't anymore.)

"Then why did you write it?" Neal said, waving the letter again. Half the people in the room were listening by now, even if they were pretending not to.

"Because…"

Neal looked at her expectantly.

Kel looked around the room, suddenly self-conscious of all the eyes on them. "Look, Neal, can't we finish this discussion in private?"

"Well, if you hadn't kicked me out your room earlier, we could have had it then! But nooo, you just had to--"

Neal's face suddenly catapulted into his bowl of porridge. Dom's hand held him down for a moment, then he let go and Neal emerged, gasping for breath and caked in his breakfast. He spun around. The second he saw Dom, his eyes went steely. "Ah, Domitan. I _should have known_."

"That was quite satisfying," Dom remarked. "I must try it again tomorrow." Kel smiled weakly in thanks, while hoping desperately that Dom hadn't caught the earlier parts of the conversation. Even if she wasn't avoiding him anymore, it would still be mortifying if he found out about her odd behaviour, or even worse, that she'd fancied him.

Neal's face went from outraged to sly (but it remained covered in porridge). "Well then, Dom," he said, suddenly all polite, "why don't you have a seat? What a coincidence you just turned up. Kel and I were having a discussion about you only a few moments ago!" Kel struggled to hide her alarm.

"Sorry, I can't. I promised to sit with someone else."

Neal was scowling. "Can't it wait?" he asked desperately. "Kel will make excuses and avoid me if we put it off until later. But if we do it now we can eventually force the truth out of her!"

"Sorry, Neal, no can do. This is an old friend, I haven't seen her in a while and I swore we'd catch up now before she gets too busy."

Kel suddenly felt like she might know who this old friend was.

"Whatever it is, I'm quite sure it can wait," Dom assured his cousin. "I'll see you later. Kel, we're on scout duty together after lunch, so I'll see you then."

Dom walked away to another table and sat down beside a brunette girl clad in the typical Rider gear. She smiled coquettishly at Dom as they began to chat.

_So that's Tanaia, _Kel thought to herself silently. _Of course she'd be here; I should've realised when Neal mentioned Rider reinforcements. Well, I'm glad I don't like Dom anymore. I'd be green with envy by now._

Neal poked her. "Hey, Kel. Did I just hear right? Dom said you're on scout duty together. But I thought you were avoiding him."

"I already told you, I'm _not_." As if she didn't have enough trouble already with Lerant, now Neal was pestering her about Dom (_again_). And the whole Dom thing was old news anyway. _As for Lerant, should I tell Neal about him and… what happened? If he's making such a big fuss about Dom, he might make a massive ruckus over Lerant. _

Speaking of the devil, the standardbearer was walking by with his breakfast. He smirked at Kel very deliberately, no doubt having seen Tanaia and Dom sitting beside each other. Apparently he had temporarily forgotten yesterday's confrontation in the stables and the earlier encounter in the hallway outside Kel's room in favour of trying to make Kel even more jealous about Dom. He wasn't aware that Kel wasn't jealous about it at all, because she didn't have a crush on him anymore. But Kel intended to make sure that Lerant found out eventually; at least then he'd have one less thing to try to piss her off over. The whole accidental kiss incident was quite enough already.

A few minutes later, Neal begrudgingly accepted that Kel wasn't avoiding Dom anymore. He could not, however, extract why Kel had written why she was in the first place. That, she decided, could stay strictly secret. Neal would never stop pestering her over it. Kel could imagine with absolute clarity the many things he would do to irritate her; make snide hints whenever Dom was around, make 'arrangements' at mealtimes so the only seat left at the table would be next to Dom, deliver fake letters to his cousin from Kel confessing her undying love for him (he had somehow become very good at forging her handwriting), and probably more.

Kel had hoped Yuki would manage to bind up the wilder side of Neal over the years they had spent together so far, but it seemed she had only managed to make him even wilder.

"Anyway, Neal, I need to go hand in the report you knocked all over the floor earlier," Kel informed him, rising from her seat. "Don't try anything funny. I'll be keeping an eye on you all day."

"Well then," Neal said matter-of-factly, "I'll just have to carry out my plans tomorrow."

Kel glared at him, then brightened. "By the way, Neal, you still have porridge in your hair. I'd sort it out if I were you or the others might mistake it for a chronic case of dandruff."

Neal touched his hair self-consciously. "And here I was thinking porridge in the hair is rather dashing."

"Yes, well, we all know not to trust any of your thoughts," Kel said. "See you later."

----------------------------------------------------------

Upon returning to her room, she remembered that she hadn't bothered to put the pages in order when she picked them up from the floor. Unfortunately Kel hadn't thought to number the pages and thus re-ordering the report might take longer than she had expected. Sighing, she sat down on her bed and began to rifle through the pages.

Someone leaned into her room from the doorway. A voice drifted in. "Lord Raoul wants your report now." Kel looked up, trying not to betray her surprise. Lerant was standing there, looking uninterested.

"It'll just take a minute," she said, returning his blank tone with a similar one. She re-arranged another sheet of paper slowly, pretending it would take a long time, wanting to at least get her own back for his smirk at breakfast. She wasn't even sure why he was waiting for her to finish. Perhaps Raoul had asked him to go back to his office with Kel.

"Hurry up, will you?" he urged impatiently, scowling at the opposite wall.

"Sorry," Kel said sincerely, pretending she hadn't realised his impatience before. She painstakingly double-checked each page she had moved, reading the sentence at the end of the first page and the one at the start of the next to see if they matched. "I dropped it on the floor and now the pages are out of order."

He suddenly sneered at her. "Flustered over Dom and Tanaia this morning, I bet."

"Hardly," she replied calmly, despite her insides protesting at his suggestion. Lerant really knew how to get on her nerves. "Maybe I would've been a few days ago, but not anymore. He's just a friend."

At first, it looked as though he was about to announce he didn't believe her, but after a moment he scowled and accepted it. Just the fact that he didn't have a reply gave Kel immense satisfaction. "I thought you didn't want me to speak to you, anyway," Kel pointed out.

"I _said_ don't talk to me like we're friends. This isn't exactly friendly banter, is it?"

Kel shrugged. For some reason she was feeling extremely bold, which was probably the only reason why she even thought about saying what she said next. "I just always get the impression you hate talking to me at all."

His gaze shifted to the floor. He hesitated, as if he didn't want to admit what he was about to say, then said begrudgingly, "It's not like that."

Kel looked up, surprised. That was the last thing she had been expecting him to say. She couldn't help it; she smiled to herself. Maybe she was starting to crack the shell of Lerant of Eldorne.

Kel looked down at her report. Although it had been in the correct order for several minutes, she had carried on pretending it wasn't and moved pages into the wrong place only to move them right back. Kel decided she didn't have the heart to carry on, not after what he'd just said. "I'm done," she announced, standing. "Let's go."

Lerant was already out the door. Kel lengthened her stride to catch up, even though she suspected he had gotten a head start on purpose so they didn't end up walking side by side. But when she levelled with him, he didn't say anything. He didn't even look at her.

"Did Raoul send you to get me?"

"No. Dom and your friend were in Lord Raoul's office, and when I walked in they said I should go check on you because you had to hand in a report but your friend had knocked it over this morning. Raoul didn't protest, though."

_Ah. _So he had actually known how the report had ended up in the wrong order, despite hinting earlier that she had dropped it because she was thinking about Dom and Tanaia.

"His name is Neal," Kel told him. "I would have thought you'd know. He's Dom's cousin. And he was at Haven…"

Lerant shrugged dismissively. It didn't seem like he wanted to carry on the conversation, so Kel didn't say anything more.

As they approached Raoul's office, voices drifted out the open door. Lerant held his arm out to stop her going in.

"What?" she mouthed at him. He shook his head and lifted a finger to his lips to indicate she shouldn't speak. Kel sighed and concentrated on listening.

"…acting up?"

"Maybe she has a cold," Raoul suggested.

"I think I'd know if she did," said Neal's voice. "No, I think Kel has a case of _loneliness."_

Kel stared at Lerant, horrified.

Raoul laughed. "Perhaps Alanna didn't teach you as well as I thought. I think your diagnosis is a little off."

Suddenly Dom's voice entered the conversation. "I don't know, sir, all evidence points to the conclusion that she hasn't had a significant romantic relationship in years."

Kel scowled, already plotting numerous ways to punish Dom and Neal; one included several thrashings in 'practice bouts', several meals in their faces and perhaps… all their clothes going missing.

This time Neal's voice was hushed. "And you remember when she was courting Cleon of Kennan? Wasn't she all upbeat and happy? Don't you think we could use a Kel like that? Her being all moody and aloof isn't exactly helpful in this kind of situation."

"I'll admit she has been a bit distant, but I think it's more likely due to a quarrel with our Standardbearer," Raoul said. "It will solve itself in time."

"But, really," Dom interjected, "you owe Kel, sir, wasn't she the one who set you up with Commander Buri in the first place? Wouldn't you like to _return the favour_?"

Several of Kel's punishment plans became a lot more violent. She couldn't believe Dom was actually suggesting that Raoul try to matchmake for her. Dom, the man who she'd thought herself in love with for so long she had forgotten where it had started; the man who she'd always thought was a hell of a lot more sensible than his cousin. Obviously not.

"I don't know," Raoul said amorously. "It's clear you've been planning this for a while, but do you really think Kel would appreciate this? Seems to me like she's quite happy where she is right now."

"Oh, I don't think so," Neal said. "I am, after all, her closest friend. I think I have the best insight into her mind. Even if her change in attitude is due to that Eldorne person, I still say a man would speed the process of making up with him."

"We'll be carrying out our plans whether you support them or not," Dom said casually. "I'm sure we'll be able to get others involved. It'd just be a bit of fun. Getting Kel into _a better place _would just be a bonus. And I'm sure it would motivate the rest of the men. Apart from the one we're trying to set her up with, of course, we can't tell him anything."

There was a creak; it seemed Neal was now leaning on Raoul's desk. "And as a father-figure to Kel, wouldn't you love to see her smiling like she did when she had Cleon?"

"That sounds rather a lot like blackmail," Raoul pointed out.

"Yes, that's right. Emotional blackmail normally does the trick."

Kel narrowed her eyes.

"Anyway, sir, we thought we'd just try it out without her knowledge at first. She'd never agree to it to start with, but once she's sneaking off every five minutes for a romantic rendez-vous with her lover I'm sure she'd be really glad we thought of this in the first place. But if she gets a bit… distressed, well, we can stop anytime, it's not like we'd be forcing her or anything."

There was a long silence. Presumably Raoul had managed to convey his agreement during this lull in conversation as the next thing Kel heard chilled her to the bone.

"Well then! Who would you say is the most eligible bachelor here?"

Raoul paused, still sounding a little reluctant. "Dom, I suppose."

"As I'm in on the plan I don't think it would work out that well," Dom said quickly. "We're just friends, Kel and I. No romantic feelings involved. Besides, I'm… already involved with someone. So I'm not exactly a bachelor."

"Oh well," Neal lamented. "I would've found a relationship between you two quite amusing, but I suppose it's not meant to be."

_Any relationship you try and make between me and another man is not meant to be, because you're just interfering, _Kel thought angrily. She would've quite liked to storm in and stop them in their tracks, but they'd probably go ahead with their plans anyway. At least this way she'd have an idea of who they were trying to set her up with so she could manage to avoid them.

"Who's next, then? Remember, we're taking into account looks, whether they seem to like Kel, whether Kel seems to like them… it can't just be some random stranger."

Raoul thought it over for a moment. "Lerant, I suppose, but as he's not particularly fond of Kel…"

"Well, as I say, I always like a challenge, but I think that one might be just a bit _too_ challenging. Apparently Lerant isn't very experienced in the love department, so it wouldn't work out as well."

"Actually, just the other day I saw a woman go into his rooms, so he can't be _that_ inexperienced. Must have been a village girl. I guess he's had to lower his standards a bit. But I swear it looked just like Kel." That was Dom's voice.

"Well, it couldn't have been her, from what I've been told about their arguments. If Kel tried to get into his rooms he'd probably gut her on the spot." There was a short pause, as if everyone was picturing Lerant emerge from behind his door, brandishing a large and potentially fatal knife. Neal broke the silence. "Okay then, let's move on. Better be quick, or they'll be back soon."

"By the way, Neal, what a stroke of genius sending Lerant to get her. They're probably at each other's throats right now, buys us some more time."

Kel scowled. So that was why they had sent Lerant.

"Wolset is eligible," Dom pointed out. "He's got experience and the ladies find him reasonably attractive. He and Kel aren't the best of friends but they talk sometimes."

"Even better," Neal said. "I think we may have found the perfect candidate."

Dom's voice was lowered. "Wolset, then? Are we agreed?"

Neal immediately confirmed, but Raoul was a bit slower. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he said reluctantly. "If it goes wrong then it'll just be another conflict Kel will have to deal with. And if she finds out she'll probably try and kill you."

Dom and Neal laughed. "Oh, we're aware of that," Neal chuckled, "but we're willing to sacrifice our lives if it means Kel will have a chance at happiness."

Kel rolled her eyes.

"So then, we'll initiate our first plan early tomorrow morning. Don't worry, my Lord, we'll only be asking for your help once in a while. Kel will never know you're involved."

"Now we'd better talk of other things," Dom suggested. "Kel and Lerant will be here any moment."

Kel looked across at the standardbearer beside her. He had remained silent and motionless the entire way through the conversation, even when they'd mentioned he hadn't much experience. Personally Kel was bristling with contempt. When Dom and Neal switched their conversation to the number of deaths due to immortal attacks in the nearby villages, it was clear they would learn no more.

Lerant signalled that they should creep a little way up the corridor and then walk down loudly so the men inside would think Kel and Lerant had only just arrived. Lerant pulled on a stony face, to make it look like he was irritated at having to get Kel, and Kel feigned a neutral expression that suggested she was ignoring Lerant to the best of her ability. Lerant led the way in.

"Ah, Kel!" Raoul said, his voice slightly strained. The friendly smile on his face was a little too wide to be genuine. "Have you got that report?"

"I do," Kel confirmed, handing it over. She turned to look at Neal speculatively, who at first looked alarmed, then also offered up a smile as wide as Raoul's. "Hello, Neal. Getting your orders, are you?"

"Yup," he said quickly. His gaze was over Kel's shoulder at Dom. Kel glanced behind her and then turned to greet Neal's cousin, too.

"I was just showing Neal the way to Lord Raoul's office, and thought I'd stay to hear Neal's orders," Dom said hurriedly, as if his presence required an explanation. _If they keep this up I'll have trouble pretending not to have found out about their plans_, Kel thought to herself._ They're being so obvious._

"Well, I have duties to attend to, so I'll be going," Kel said.

Lerant muttered a similar excuse and left after her.

Once they were out of earshot Kel let her blank Yamani mask crumble away and found herself clenching her fists in anger. "I can't believe they even think they could get away with that," she said, more to herself than to Lerant. As their rooms were beside each other they were walking in the same direction. "What a bunch of idiots. And Wolset? He's well enough, but nothing they do is going to force me to develop feelings for him, it's just stupid."

"Don't tell them you know," Lerant advised. Kel didn't question him suddenly speaking to her.

"I'm not planning to. I'll get much more satisfaction from my revenge if they think I don't know what they're doing." She paused, speculating. "I wonder if I should tell Wolset. It'll be easier if I have an accomplice, and he'll be—"

"Don't."

Kel looked at Lerant questioningly.

"It'll be too obvious. They aren't completely stupid. They'll probably be watching all the set ups and Wolset isn't a very good actor so they'll know straight away that something's going on."

"But I could never--"

Lerant turned on her, suddenly irritated. "Then just ask me to help out, jeez! They were saying stuff about me too. Mainly because I hid you in my rooms that one time Dom came looking, you realise."

_Oh yeah_. 'Apparently Lerant isn't very experienced in the love department' and 'I guess he's had to lower his standards a bit' were probably the comments he was talking about. Kel wouldn't have thought Dom would say something like that, him being friends with Lerant, so it was no wonder Lerant was bitter and wanted a bit of revenge.

Kel looked at him unsurely. "But… like they said, we're practically at one another's throats—"

"I already told you, _it's not like that_." He stalked off, apparently having had enough.

Kel rubbed the back of her head, amused.

Somehow, seeing Lerant contradict his earlier attitude was kind of touching.

----------------------------------------------------------

**Well, that was a long'un! I was going to split it into two separate chapters, but I didn't have the heart. I felt like nothing much interesting happened in the first half so tearing off the last half would leave it a bit boring. In my personal experience this was quite a speedy update for the length of the chapter so... be glad :) anyway usual thanks for reviews and alerts and favourites and such. Please continue reading and offering your feedback, I'm sorry about putting in matchmaking (it's quite clichéd in the horrific KelDom pairing), a little credit goes to ClaireytheFairy who is writing a fanfiction where Wolset and Kel pretend to be lovers (to make Dom jealous, bleh) which gave me the idea of using Wolset. Please review and tell me what you think, any suggestions you have will also be appreciated :) see you next chapter.**


	7. Lies

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**SEVEN: Lies  
**

_Okay, Kel. Just act normal. You don't know about any of this stupid matchmaking rubbish. You don't even have suspicions about why they were acting weird earlier when you handed in your report. Everything's just like normal. Absolutely _normal

Kel approached Dom from behind and put her hand on his shoulder. He began to turn, laughing, "Hey! Is that you, Qasim? I need to tell you—" then he froze as he saw who was behind him. His face slowly drained of all colour. "Oh, hi Kel," he choked out. After glancing away and then back at her, his expression had been replaced with a surprisingly cheerful one.

She smiled. "Did you forget? We've got scout duty together now."

He grinned at her blankly for a moment. "Oh- oh yeah! Wow, I completely forgot. Sorry." He stood up and swept his eyes over the other members of his squad clustered around his table. "Well, I suppose we'll talk again… at dinner, then." Most of them stared openly at Kel as she bade them a similar goodbye, noting Wolset's absence from the group, and led the way out the mess, Dom following.

It had only been about an hour since she and Lerant had stumbled upon Neal and Dom persuading Lord Raoul to join them in their attempts to match make for Kel, and she had eavesdropped on the entire thing. Already, Dom seemed to be telling the others of the plans (minus Wolset, the one they were trying to set her up with), presumably so that the rest of Third Company could help him out when he couldn't execute all his plans with only Neal, Raoul and himself. They would probably meet up late at night in the barracks for a drink and to laugh about the whole thing, thinking Kel was oblivious, and making bets as to whether she'd find out or not, or maybe whether she'd end up getting together with Wolset. They'd probably find it hilarious either way.

Kel, however, had no intentions of giving them anything to laugh about._Although,_she thought suddenly, _it would be a lot more satisfying if I went along with it for a bit and_then_ruined all their plans. They'd be devastated. I'll just add a little fuel to their fire, and then… put it out completely._

Kel paused. She knew she couldn't do it alone, so it was just as well that Lerant had also overheard and offered to help, albeit begrudgingly. _Hopefully I won't have to rely on Lerant's help too much. I can't imagine he'll be very pleased if I'm always knocking on his door asking for favours and forcing him to go along with being used as a distraction by Dom and the others…_

Kel shook off her thoughts and grinned at Dom brightly. "You seem tense," she said innocently.

He chuckled nervously. "Well, I think I pulled a muscle," he managed, then coughed loudly and looked away. Evidently he was far worse at lying than Kel had realised. "Anyway," he said, very deliberately, "are you still at odds with Lerant?"

Kel chose her words carefully. If she answered in the right way, Dom and Neal would continue to use Lerant to keep Kel busy when they didn't want her around to accidentally stumble upon their secret meetings. This would work greatly to her advantage. Lerant hated being a tool for others, which had probably led to his offer of allegiance with Kel; to receive his own, personal revenge when Kel, with his aid, completely upturned their plot. Supposedly, willingly being used by Kel was better that unwillingly being used by Dom. "Oh, kind of. I'm not really interested in arguing with him, but he can really test my patience sometimes. His constant challenges wear me down. Occasionally I find myself answering back, but… well, you know, it's not like me, but my patience can wear thin when he's testing me."

"He_is_ asking for it, sometimes," Dom said, a hint of approval in his voice. He began to drift a little ahead. Kel followed obediently, even though they were taking a slightly longer route. It seemed Dom wanted her to continue dishing out information on how useful Lerant might prove to be in their plans. "Do you think you'll be making up anytime soon?" he asked.

"Not if he carries on like this," Kel lied. They had practically made up already if Lerant's offer to help was anything to go by, even if he still retained much of his old attitude to her. "Even if I don't like the way things are now, I'm not a miracle worker. He needs to make an effort to change things too." Dom grinned, clearly overjoyed at this nugget of information. Then he hastily wiped his face blank, as if he thought Kel hadn't already noticed. She pretended she hadn't. _I'm sure Lerant won't mind pretending I'm still his enemy_, Kel thought. _He'll probably enjoy it. He has a penchant for trying to insult me._

"Why all the questions?"

Dom grinned. "You're my friends, aren't you? I have to keep informed."

Kel couldn't help breaking into a smile. "Oh, I see. You're not going to take sides?"

"I'd take yours any day, I just don't fancy being on the receiving end of Lerant's snide remarks." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then broke into a sly grin and continued, "Let us say, rather, that I am assisting you from the shadows."

And if that wasn't the most blatant reference to his matchmaking plans, then Kel didn't know what was.

The day continued fairly ordinarily; it seemed Dom and Neal were still putting together their plans and were not planning to initiate them until later. However, whenever Kel crossed paths with a member of Third Company, the corners of their mouth would turn up and they would struggle to smother laughter if she talked to them. And when Wolset was nearby, his comrades would gather into small groups like gossiping court ladies and shoot devious glances in his direction, and then in Kel's.

It wasn't long before Wolset noticed, but whenever he tried to approach his friends, someone else would dart in and request a favour of him to keep him distracted. He was swept off his feet with various errands and extra shifts of patrol duty because his friends insisted they were injured. Kel knew that once Wolset was gone, they would creep out the infirmary to meet up with Dom and Neal, only to sneak back into a sickbed when the current shift of patrollers was about to return. With Neal in on the plan, verifying their apparent injuries, Wolset didn't suspect a thing.

In order to keep up her charade of not realising what was going on whatsoever, Kel knew she couldn't intervene, but she thought it would be even more suspicious if she pretended not to notice that Wolset was doing twice the amount of work he was meant to, while Dom's name had been completely cleared off the rota of duties, and then there was the matter of the number of people being admitted into the infirmary, who didn't actually seem to be hurt or ill in any way. Dom and Neal would at least expect her to notice some of the effects of their plans, if not what was at the core of it. They knew well enough that she wasn't an imbecile.

Lerant stopped her on the way to the barracks, where she planned to confront Dom about some of the minor things he was doing that were affecting the camp's productivity. "What are you doing?" he demanded, blocking her path.

"I'm going to mention a few things to Dom," she informed him coolly. "It would be suspicious if I didn't notice Wolset is worn to the bone and half the men are playing hooky in the infirmary, with Neal's approval."

Lerant frowned at her. "You aren't going to tell him you know about his plans?"

Kel just grinned. "I'd rather toy with them first," she said. "Get my revenge while they think that I'm blissfully ignorant of their plans. Could you continue to pretend you're also oblivious, but help me in secret?"

Lerant scowled.

"Thanks," Kel said. She knew by now that a scowl meant he didn't really want to, but was going to anyway. "Oh, and, could you possibly do me a favour? They'll probably be on guard after I've gone in, and have me watched to ensure I don't hear anything accidentally, but I'd like to know what they say. If you could just eavesdrop on their reaction shortly after I leave, then I'd be really grateful."

Lerant glared at her, but did not in any way imply he was refusing.

"Thanks again," Kel said meaningfully, brushing past him. "I'll be in my room afterward if you could just slip in and tell me what you heard. Then we can make some plans of our own." Lerant turned away without a word and quickly strode off.

As she approached the barracks someone who had been slumped outside suddenly jolted up and rushed inside. Clattering and an eerie silence followed. When Kel walked in, the men were perched unnaturally on their beds, pretending to be extremely focused on smoothing out the wrinkles in their bed sheets. Dom was leant back on his bunk, twiddling his thumbs. It took several moments for him to take notice of her.

"Ah, Kel!" he said cheerfully, "what brings you to my humble abode?"

Kel kept her face blank, her voice light but also stern. "Well, I noticed your name has mysteriously disappeared from the duties rota for most of today. Has Raoul given you some sort of leave that I'm not aware of?"

"Oh, sort of," he replied nonchalantly. There were a few murmurs around the room. "I'm just taking a quick break so I can be in excellent fighting condition when the next batch of immortals wanders in."

"Then you'll be back onto your full duties tomorrow, I assume," Kel said curtly, more of a statement than a question. "And with improved efficiency."

"Of course," he nodded. "I didn't think I was having a very large effect on the camp as a whole."

"Well, perhaps not overall, but I'm a bit worried about Wolset. He's currently out cold in the infirmary because he was filling in for all the duties you didn't bother to do today. Everyone must pull their own weight, Dom."

"I apologise sincerely," he replied blandly.

"Apology accepted," Kel said with satisfaction, looking around the room. Half the men rushed to escape her gaze. "I'll be going then." She waved to a few of Dom's squad as she left, all who replied with feeble nods of their heads. Muffled snickers and laughter bloomed as soon as she was out the door. As she headed outside, she paused, pretending to shiver. Although it _was_ cold, the reason she'd stopped was to sneak a quick look around. Something had moved in the gloom to her left – as she'd thought, someone was waiting outside to make sure she didn't try to go back in. Even if it was slightly annoying, Kel had to credit Dom for taking rather a lot of care that he was not discovered, although evidently not quite enough, since she'd found out about it before it had really started.

She was trailed until she entered the building that housed the individual rooms, for those who required space to work. Once she had entered, she left the door unlocked so Lerant could enter quickly without being seen by anyone loitering in the hall. Then she mulled over how best to continue her act towards Third Company and Neal. She would have to find a balance between noticing things that the normal Kel, with her attention to detail, would find out, but always managing to swerve away from the conclusion that something was going on, by reasoning aloud that the things she noticed had other causes. It might be a good idea to occasionally mention things to Dom or Neal, but allow them to persuade her that they were a coincidence, so that they thought she was under their control. Unfortunately for them, it would be the complete opposite. After deciding this, Kel performed a quick pattern dance to pass the time until Lerant returned to report his findings. He looked a bit ruffled when he slipped in a few minutes later.

"How was it?" she asked, propping her glaive up against the wall. She dropped down onto her bed, gesturing for Lerant to take the stool.

He shrugged. "I had to go round to one of the open windows so I wasn't found out, which involved crawling through a bush."

"Oh," Kel said apologetically. He glowered at her as she looked him over, noting the twigs and leaves clinging onto his hair and clothes. "All for a good cause, though; what did you hear?"

"Nothing revelatory. Once you left, everyone moved around Dom's bed. He said he was pleased because you'd expressed concern about Wolset being exhausted, but then tried to cover it up by reasoning that you just didn't want Dom slacking off. He thinks you probably already like Wolset, but you don't want anyone to find out."

Kel couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. Even Lerant had to hide a smile. Dom was jumping to some absurd conclusions. This would be of advantage to Kel, who wanted to make him think his plans were going well, and then suddenly upturn them to his absolute devastation.

"Was there anything else?" Kel asked, wiping away the smile on her lips. "About his plans, maybe?"

"He didn't say anything specific. He doesn't think that you noticing anything suspicious will be a problem. As long as he has people watching you, he thinks you won't find anything out that they don't want you to. And he said it doesn't matter you realised he wasn't doing many duties today, because you didn't realise why. Most of the planning is done, apparently. He wasn't lying when he said he'd be back to usual duties tomorrow."

She nodded, eyes distant. "I guess he'll be putting it into action soon, then. Tomorrow, I suspect." Her gaze sharpened again, and she looked at Lerant. "Sorry to burden you with this. I owe you one."

Lerant shrugged, looking at the floor. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Well, I don't know about that," Kel said. "You're still doing all those things for Lord Raoul, aren't you?"

"When this assignment is over, we're probably going back to Corus. Then I expect my Lord Raoul will take on a squire. The Lioness's son, maybe."

"Oh," Kel said, surprised. "You finally got rid of me, had a bit of time to settle back into old habits, and soon they'll be uprooted all over again."

He was about to reply when someone knocked on the door. Kel blinked. The only people she knew who would visit her at her rooms would most likely barge in without even considering her privacy. For all they knew, she could be half-naked. Luckily, though, such an incident had yet to occur. "Come in," she called, curious. The door opened gently, and in slipped a slim but sturdy woman with chin-length chestnut hair and a round, pretty face. The smell of the stables wafted in around her.

"Keladry of Mindelan," she said stiffly. She looked slightly distressed. "I am Tanaia, from Rider Group Seventeen." Her eyes turned to Lerant, who was scowling at her.

"Lerant, could you leave for a moment?" Kel asked, almost pleadingly. He obeyed, but not without another sideways glance at Tanaia, who glared back. Clearly Lerant had remembered Tanaia as one of the girls Dom had kissed a while back. Once Lerant was gone, Tanaia turned her attention back to Kel. Her expression was grim.

"Can I help you?" Kel enquired politely. At times like this, her Yamani mask came in very useful.

She hesitated, then burst out, "I want you to stay away from Dom!"

Kel stared at her. "Um…"

"Whenever I go to see him recently, he tells me he's busy. But I always see him spending time with _you_." The emphasis on 'you' was venomous.

"I'm sorry," Kel said weakly, "are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

Tanaia was trembling ever so slightly, her eyes wide and glistening. "I'm_suggesting_you're the reason why he keeps telling me to go away. You've said something. Or done something."

Kel was tempted to roll her eyes, but knew Tanaia would probably go berserk if she did. "I think there's been a misunderstanding," she said gently. "I'm not interested in Dom that way at all. Nor him in me."

"Oh,_really_," Tanaia said ridiculously. She took a threatening step forward. "I don't know a single woman who doesn't want Dom in their bed!"

"We may be a minority, Tanaia, but women who do not love Domitan of Masbolle _do_ exist."

Tanaia was becoming increasingly flustered, nudged along by Kel's somewhat sarcastic reply. "Even if you have no interest, I find it hard to believe he hasn't got any interest in you! He has a new girl in his arms every week, at least. And I imagine there's a rather short supply of girls around here, making it even more likely that you're one of the ones he's had!"

"If you're offended so much by Dom's attitude to relationships, I'm not sure why you're making such a fuss over him," Kel said, her patience beginning to wear. Her guess was that Dom was so busy with his matchmaking plans for her that he had no time for Tanaia. If only Kel could tell Tanaia that, but she might let slip to Dom that Kel knew, and that would ruin _her_plans. "Of course Dom is handsome and dashing and all that, but he's never expressed any interest in me other than friendship, and though I'll admit I did once like him, I don't any longer."

"Ah," Tanaia said sarcastically, still not fully convinced. "And why is that? That you no longer like him?"

Kel hesitated.

Triumph was just creeping over Tanaia's face when the door burst open. Lerant stood there, looking sincerely as if he wasn't quite sure what he was about to do was a good idea.

"Because Kel has someone else," he said awkwardly. There was a short pause. "Me."

Tanaia stared. Kel stared. Lerant looked absolutely appalled at himself.

As soon as Tanaia turned back to Kel, the shock on Lerant's face gave way to resignation. He hid his face behind one of his large, callused hands, muttering something to himself.

Tanaia, however, appeared a little more positive. After Kel confirmed Lerant's declaration, Tanaia apologised, looking embarrassed. It was no wonder she had been so paranoid; Dom was famous for the speed at which he took new lovers. Kel found that even she had a little sympathy for the Rider once the accusations stopped flying round the room. After all, that was one of the things that had led to Kel no longer loving Dom. Lerant remained slumped against the wall adjacent to the door, still mumbling dark things into his hands. He didn't even look up when Tanaia walked past, on her way out.

"One thing, Tanaia?" Kel asked hurriedly. "If you could… keep it a secret, about me and Lerant..."

Tanaia's perfect chestnut eyebrows raised an inch. "Keladry of Mindelan, harbouring a secret lover and caring about whether everyone knows! Who would have thought it?" She grinned, but her eyes were still a bit red. "You know, if you were public about it, I wouldn't have had any reason to come here. Everybody knows you're not so dishonourable as to have two men at once. You should just tell everyone, and then you won't get harassed by people like me."

Kel smothered her alarm with a polite smile. "Though the prospect excites me, I can't imagine I'd get much work done if Third Company were teasing me about it every few moments. You know them, they'd make an awful ruckus."

Tanaia bobbed her head. "You're right, I suppose. I've heard more than a few jokes about myself from their lips."

"I don't imagine you're the first," Kel said, smiling briefly. Her gaze continued to fall back to Lerant, who was becoming paler by the minute. Now her priority was to get rid of Tanaia. "Well, I've work to do," she said blithely. "If you don't mind?"

Tanaia lingered at the door. "Of course. I'm so sorry again for bursting in like this."

"Don't worry about it," Kel assured her quickly.

Tanaia finally left. Lerant, however, remained slumped in the corner, looking like the world was about to end.

"Lerant," Kel said.

He looked up, grimacing. "Please tell me I imagined the last five minutes."

Kel smiled slightly. "I'm afraid not. But I'm sure we've nothing to worry about. She promised not to tell - and I doubt she'd go against her word… right?"

----------------------------------------------------------

Ahhh, it's been so long! I'm so soooorry :'( I've been ultra-busy with school, I swear my teachers are trying to work me to death, so this one went half-finished for a loooong time. Anyway this chapter was madness. I hope the end was sufficiently ominous... Anyhoo merci beaucoup for all the reviews and for sticking with me despite my horrific update habits, I'll try and churn out the next chapter as quickly as possible. (For anyone wondering about my other stories, I'm in the process of planning the next chapter of Alter Ego, the others don't have updates in sight as of yet... and I've pretty much decided to discontinue Ashes, I have too many stories on my hands here :( Sorry...)


	8. Glass

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**EIGHT: Glass  
**

Kel had never figured Lerant to be a compulsive worrier, but judging by his pale face and fidgeting hands the next morning, she had just discovered a new facet of his personality. The glaze painting his eyes suggested he had been standing blankly outside his door for some time. At first, Kel thought he hadn't noticed her emerge from her room, but apparently he was not glued in his pale-faced reverie as deeply as she had thought, as he turned to her after a few moments and blinked at her surprised face.

"I am never going to lie again," he said, his face haunted. "_Ever_. I would swear by the gods, but they're probably too busy laughing at my misfortune to hear."

Kel kept her mouth firmly shut and offered him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Not to worry, Lerant," she consoled him, "I asked Tanaia to keep quiet, after all. I don't doubt her word."

He didn't appear convinced, much less as his voice began low and became increasingly feverish and stormy by the word. "I have no trust in any woman's word," he hissed. "By now everyone from here to the Roof of the World will have heard of our so-called 'tryst', and I have not slept a wink for knowing it!"

Kel narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what foul thing you have drunk to drive you to this paranoia, Lerant, but I can at least hold hope in that soon you'll have enough of a headache to shut you up completely." She looked him up and down, and then an edge of sympathy crept into her voice. "Look, let's imagine none of this has happened, and go down to the mess just like we always do. I guarantee you, the only person under the illusion we are lovers will be Tanaia. And we can work on that."

Indeed, Kel's prediction rang true; not a single head turned or whisper followed them as she and Lerant strolled into the mess together. Even Tanaia was too enthralled by her conversation with Dom to notice their arrival.

"I told you so," Kel said briskly, sweeping up a breakfast tray. "I'm going to sit by Neal. If you could sit near Dom and see if anything of interest is said, I'd be very grateful." Lerant obliged, albeit with a less-than-enthusiastic expression.

Kel sought her old friend out. Neal, it seemed, had recovered from the many prior lapses of his innocent façade, and greeted her with the cheery grin Kel had grown so fond of before this entire thing began. Kel decided to hail him with another of their traditions, which in this case was a raised eyebrow, a long pause, and one word: "Vegetables?"

"Nobody eats _vegetables_ for breakfast, Kel," Neal scoffed, perhaps feeling he had found the perfect excuse to spurn greens at least until lunch. Kel, however, believed otherwise, as she promptly revealed an apple from behind her back.

"You'll thank me when you grow up big and strong," she beamed.

It was not until she had personally overseen Neal's consumption of the entire fruit that Dom approached, his sheepish expression almost convincing. Kel wasn't sure how they'd gotten their act together so suddenly, but she did know that it probably did not bode well for her.

Dom leaned over her right side, the apologetic crease in his brow reminding Kel why she used to like him. "I hate to bail on our scout duty shift later, Kel, but I've been assigned other duties. I asked someone else to step in."

"Oh." Kel set down her spoon. "Who?"

Dom's gaze intensified, as did Neal's, whose eyes she could feel boring into the back of her head. "Wolset," Dom said.

Kel blinked innocently.

"I hope that's okay," Dom continued, his eyes scouring her expression. "You know. You get on well enough with Wolset, don't you?"

Kel looked at her bowl of porridge. "I suppose he's not bad company," she said, and then rose her face back up at Dom's. "When's the shift?"

"Noon," came the reply.

"And, Wolset's recovered from being worked like a slave, I assume?"

Dom grinned nervously, withdrawing a little further from the range of her interrogation. "'Slave' is perhaps a small exaggeration, Kel... besides, I assure you he's perfectly well now, and I'll let him know you were concerned about his health. Now, though, I've got, um, breakfast to be eating. I'll see you later!" He raised a hand in farewell and scampered away. Kel let him go, slightly reassured that his earlier composure had crumbled so quickly. If they fell apart that fast, perhaps Neal and Dom's suddenly prodigious acting skills would not cause her as much worry as she had thought.

She then turned to Neal, who was angelically absorbed in ripping the stem from his apple core. Even if Dom had gone to pieces under the slightest suspicion from Kel, she had to commend Neal for managing to make it look like he had not been eavesdropping with more intent than was natural. "Neal, I'm going to give the kitchen a heads-up that I'll be needing to take some food on scout duty with me. I don't believe Wolset recovered as miraculously as Dom made out and having to wait a couple of hours for lunch could just be the death of him."

Her emerald-eyed friend pouted. "You never try to prevent _my _death."

"I force-feed you fruit and veg three times a day. What more do you want?" She paused. "It's not like I'm giving him _special treatment_ or anything. I just don't want to have to carry him all the way back to the infirmary if he faints or something."

Kel left Neal to read into her answer as much as he cared to, signalling to Lerant discreetly as she left the mess that she wished to talk to him. He met her in the small alley between the mess and barracks, where the shadows would hide their presence.

"Dom's made the first move," she whispered to him. "Now I've got two hours with Wolset at noon, and no doubt a couple of Dom's minions spying on us the entire time."

Lerant was scowling, his arms folded tightly and gaze directed away from her. "What are you planning to do, then?" he asked, not looking at her.

"I guess I'll try and keep him talking. I'm not really sure how best to go about it, but if we learn more about each other, we can surely create the illusion of becoming closer. What do you think?"

Lerant grunted something indistinctly, which Kel assumed was an "I dunno". She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I wish Wolset were in on the plan, though. I don't know whether he's going to cooperate with me or not."

"What if," Lerant said, and paused, his eyes still stubbornly avoiding hers, "say, Wolset thought you really liked him. What then?"

Kel stared at him. "Oh. I hadn't thought of that." Alarm swamped her as she suddenly realised what Lerant was implying: that Dom and Neal were not the only ones she might be leading on. What if Wolset thought she had feelings for him? What if he sought to reject her apparent feelings for him by taking her somewhere private to announce he did not feel the same way, unaware that they would probably have an entourage of Dom's cronies watching with fists stuffed in their mouths in what would later become Third Company legend? Or even worse—

Kel's head jolted up to the alley's entrance as a passing shadow darkened it. Tanaia, who had now paused, looked calmly upon Lerant and Kel beside each other in the dark, blessed them with a suggestive wink and then flitted out of sight.

"First we need to do something about her," Lerant growled, hackles raised. "If a single lie gets out about us, Kel, I'll never, _ever_—"

"Okay, okay," Kel interrupted, somewhat exasperated. She realised then it had been a long time since he'd called her Kel, if he had ever; the thought wiped all else from her mind. "Okay, look. I'll just... we'll figure something out. If you're so opposed to the idea of us being lovers, well, we could feed her something about breaking up. She's not insensitive enough to spread it around after hearing that."

"Are you kidding?" For the first time, he looked straight at her. "She'd only get nosy, think to be a shoulder you can cry on and asking why and how and stupid details that never even happened! It's more trouble than it's worth."

Kel was taken aback by his attitude. Did he always have to be so resistant? "Just a suggestion," she said testily. "I thought you wanted to resolve it quickly. Besides, it's not like she won't be nosy anyway – we're the least likely couple in Tortall, and I'm surprised she even believed you in the first place. If I went to her tomorrow, she'd swallow a story about a stormy argument in a second. Mithros knows our reputation as enemies will always precede any reputation we could earn as lovers."

Lerant looked almost insulted, evident in both his expression and his silence. Trying to see his eyes in the shadows, Kel hoped fervently his recent surliness was not due to her. As much as his late attitude irritated her, the thought that she might be the cause was somewhat painful. Perhaps, she concluded, she had let loose a few hasty words, so she softened. "Let's leave it for now," she suggested gently. "I'll come to find you after my shift with Wolset." Another pause, this time thick and awkward. "Sorry," she said.

When Lerant failed to say anything, Kel left him without saying goodbye. Later she realised her lack of a farewell was quite petty, as though she sought to punish him for his bad mood, and pondered whether to apologise once again. She spent so long deliberating this decision that her morning passed far more quickly than she realised, and, startled to discover the time, she rushed off to the kitchens to collect the food for her and Wolset's shift of scout duty.

He was grateful for the meal, which he had not thought to bring himself, and thanked her with an endearing smile. Kel could practically feel the glee radiating from the shrubbery behind them where two of Dom's spies lurked. It only intensified as she insisted Wolset sit in the shade of a tree to avoid overheating in the noon sun.

Once the conversation began, it ran long and comfortable. Wolset was more cooperative than she could have dreamed. Topics ranged from amusing anecdotes, recent immortal attacks, battle tactics and weaponry. Hearing his new-found love of the bow, she suggested they practise together, citing her dismay upon realising how much her own skills had deteriorated. He laughed and accepted, insisting his own modest skills could not possibly outstrip hers.

By now, she thought, their silent watch were probably silently exchanging high-fives and imagining Dom's joy when he learned of the apparent "developments" in Kel and Wolset's relationship. She was not one to deny them any pleasure, ensuring the conversation continued, laughing at Wolset's jokes and, similarly, smiling when he laughed at hers. Pretending she was enjoying herself was not hard, as Wolset continually proved himself an excellent partner in conversation. For now she pushed worried thoughts of leading him on to the back of her mind, intending to scare herself over the implications later.

Eventually their shift was nearly up, and she was almost sorry for it. Compared to the strenuous forces and subtleties of Lerant's company, and the stretch of no man's land between them, Wolset was like glass, that concealed nothing. She liked the clarity. She liked the ease of all words, that now fell from her lips with speed, where before, with Lerant, they had faltered. Yet somehow, as much as the clarity refreshed her, Kel recognised suddenly, and without illusion, a desire within herself to return to the one person whose presence she never thought she would yearn for. The complexities of him, the feeling that was at once both scalding and embracing, and the words that scrambled her, perhaps she liked them a little.

As for why she might like them, when the feeling of being around Lerant lately was so insufferably tense and frustrating, she didn't yet know. She thought she would need her whole life and another just to begin to comprehend him.

"Kel?"

She belatedly realised Wolset was asking her attention. "Sorry," she apologised, tuning back in to the clear sensation of his company. "What is it?"

"Can I borrow your spyglass? I think there's something in the sky, and I just want to check I'm not seeing things."

Kel fumbled to remove the spyglass from its pouch, and handed it to him. Now squinting at the sky where he aimed it, she saw what he meant. Though just a speck, something was definitely there. She felt her fingertips begin to tingle.

"It looks like wings!" Wolset said, his voice half-horror, half-enthralment. The sound of rustling as Dom's two minions fled back to camp went ignored. "Kel, we've got to raise the alarm." He stared at it for a little longer, then, without looking at her, thrust the spyglass into her open hands.

"What is it?" Kel asked hurriedly. "Did you see?"

He wet his lips. "Must be griffins," he said. "And lots of them." Even as Kel struggled to shove her spyglass back into its pouch, Wolset grabbed her arm and began to propel her back to camp. She did not know quite why he pushed her to run so fast, but as the breathless adrenalin of alarm hit, she revelled in it, and knew she preferred it to any comfortable feeling in the world.

----------------------------------------------------------

**Ohisashiburi desu~! To old readers, hello again, sorry to keep you waiting and thank you for persevering, and to new faces, hi, nice to meet you and I hope you're enjoying the story! I had kind of subconsciously decided to leave the site... but I realise that writing means so much to me, and your reviews and feelings are so important, that I really want to finish up all my stories. I really hope that the things I am trying to convey will reach you and you will appreciate them, and I look forward to hearing what you think! (Maybe my writing has matured somewhat? Hahaha...) Got to get back into the swing of things...  
**


	9. Guilt

**---------------PLAGUE****---------------**  
**NINE: Guilt  
**

Peachblossom seemed to rumble with anticipation as Kel drove him out the stable. She was too out of breath, too panicked, to do the same.

Upon spotting the approaching immortals, she and Wolset had torn back to camp in a frenzy, only to find the news of wing-born enemies had preceded them. They had not known it until Raoul greeted them at the west entrance, an eagle preening itself distractedly on his shoulder. It might have been comical if not for the grim furrows in his brow.

"Bad news," he had said, ushering them to walk beside him to the stables. "Daine here tells me we have something novel on our hands."

"We saw griffins or something – lots of them," Wolset blurted, punctuating with wheezes. Kel herself was panting from the pace he had pushed as they fled back to camp, and did not speak.

"Would that they were griffins, and I hate them well enough," Raoul had grimaced. "What Daine tells me is far more worrying."

At this, the eagle had cast her intelligent eyes over Kel and Wolset, and opened her beak. Despite having seen Daine speak in animal form before, Kel had still found it somewhat disconcerting to see words spill from a bird's mouth, when logic told her it was not possible. "I received word of strange activity in the Divine Realms yesterday, and it was the very beasts that approach you," Daine had said. "I've read of these creatures before, but I honestly thought them legends, as did those in the Immortal Realms; but it seems some foul sorcerer has taken these legends and made them real. This is the first sighting, so we know little, except for what I could glean from ancient bestiaries. They are winged snakes called amphitheres, larger than common snakes, and with a fiercer bite."

Kel had thought of the snakes of nightmares, that were feared in deserts and far lands for the fatality of their bite, and the less potent of the wilderness, which were not often deadly. "Are they venomous?"

"We don't know. Avoid getting bitten at all costs, to be safe; and turn your path to the infirmary if you do. Although who knows whether we'd be able to do anything without an anti venom."

Wolset and Kel had exchanged timorous glances. Neither liked the ominous feel to Raoul's warning, and, from the foreboding air of those they passed, they knew nobody was optimistic about the battle ahead.

Now Wolset accompanied her, saddled on his roan gelding, to the camp's outer perimeter. The hope was to man the walls with archers and simultaneously attack from horseback; not the best formulated of tactics, but with so little to go on, it seemed the best bet. As they rode past, Kel heard orders cried to bring early specimens of the creatures to the infirmary, in hope they could begin work on an anti-venom as soon as possible. It was only disheartening to wonder how long it would take to make one, and whether it would be quick enough to save the life of a victim.

Kel halted Peachblossom as they joined the crowd congregating on the plains outside the gates. Already, her comrades looked to the sky; in the distance, a black cloud of the beasts could be seen, which seemed to grow like a foul stain seeping across the sky.

"A worthy challenge, but we will best them," Wolset said cheerfully, but his face was tight with worry as he grinned. "I think the ground will be thick with their bodies in minutes, we will slay them so easily."

Kel, feeling somewhat dazed, managed a smile in return. "I hope you're right."

"I'm going to scavenge news from the others," Wolset said, as he tugged the reins of his steed. "Goddess protect you, Kel." Before she could make a similar reply, he was gone. If their victory came as quickly as he had said, Kel thought, he would not be needing a god looking after him, anyway.

It was a matter of minutes before the amphitheres reached them. Archers began to pick them off as soon as they were within bowshot, but they were not easy foes to target. Perhaps an arm span long, they were skinny all along the length of their lithe bodies, save for the centre, where they were a little fatter. From there sprouted leathery wings – small but surprisingly powerful – and when they drew close, the air was heavy with their wing beats. Their scales were like none Kel had seen before, as blinding as glass or polished metal with their sheen. But the most terrifying sight was their fangs. As they approached the ranks collected outside the walls, those at the front of the flying formation pressed their wings back against their bodies like arrows and sprang into a dive, mouths gaping with frighteningly sharp teeth on display. The fangs were not large but skinny, which was frankly more concerning; perhaps chain mail would have deflected a large fang, where a smaller one would slip through the links. As the diving serpents drew closer to their targets, those below scattered in fright like skittish horses. The amphitheres finally threw open their wings several metres from the ground, and then the battle begun.

Kel soon discovered the beasts were easily felled, but it was not this which concerned her. She feared most of all their speed; it took only a split-second for them to lunge, which was not sufficient time to notice one from the side, above or behind. For the best part, comrades tried to watch each other's backs, but it seemed not much could be done as no one, no matter how much they desired it, had eyes in the backs of their heads.

Kel, finding the area she occupied suddenly clear of enemies, quickly wiped her sweaty brow with the back of her hand. Her nerves felt shot from several close calls, but she had been lucky, and had not seen anyone bitten either.

Suddenly she looked across, and her eyes fell on Lerant a few metres away. He was engaged with one of the amphitheres. As she watched he stabbed at it, but its agile body evaded his blade with ease, and, to Kel's absolute horror, it pitched right at his face, fangs screaming for a bite. Her entire body lurched in terror, feeling winded and nauseous and petrified. And worse was that Lerant fell out of view as the snake pounced at his face, and she did not see the result.

Without thought, her heartbeat rabid and frenzied, she charged Peachblossom through the fray, immediately forgetting her fears as if they had fallen with him; each second that passed seemed a sickly abyss between her and Lerant, who surely now lay trampled and infected and dying on the ground, his face, the face that lately haunted her, marred where the fangs had punctured him.

She barely registered a shout behind her, but felt a sudden stir of air to the back of her head, and spun round, besieged on all sides by her fears. An amphithere opened wide its jaws like the gates of death to entice her in, but it did not reach her, and beat its wings ever more furiously in trying. And then it realised that it would not advance because it was held, its tail was prisoner. Wolset had stopped the amphithere by seizing it, and saved her, as it went for Kel's unguarded back.

Wolset grinned at her wildly, and she came to her senses. But not in time, not quickly enough, for the amphithere, livid with rage, lashed back and plunged its fangs into his arm, and Kel hacked it down, but knew the damage had already been done. By her own foolishness, by some insanity that had possessed and blinded her, Wolset had been bitten. And there were no words, not in any language, that could express the overwhelming cataclysm of guilt that took her.

He spoke, which was just as well, as Kel could not get any words out. "I am fine," Wolset reassured her, but he was already a measure paler than before. "I can get to the infirmary by myself. Better to watch your back than worry about others, eh?" He glanced at her, and seemed to perceive in an instant the very depth of her panic, and she knew he had guessed the reason behind her blind flight across the battlefield. "Be on guard," he said light-heartedly, seeming to seek in his manner to console her. "When your tongue is not so tied, and our lives not in such danger, we can speak of this. I will be fine." Then he smiled again, weakly, and retreated.

Kel returned to her fighting with stinging tears in her eyes. Even as she fought the winged snakes, she fought herself. A caustic ache within her shrieked for news of Lerant, and it was not easily ignored.

After the battle was done some hours later, and she had stabled and cared for Peachblossom, she marched with purpose to the infirmary. She was surprised to cross paths with Dom on the way there, and far too impatient to play along with his matchmaking game.

"I hear Wolset has been hurt," he said, looking at her sidelong.

"I _know_," she said, with considerable bitterness at the reminder, and his light-hearted air. "I am off to see him now." She paused, about to sweep by him icily, but paused and inquired, "Is Lerant in the infirmary?"

"I brought him in myself," Dom replied, his tone a little colder for her impatient attitude. "He is bruised a little from falling from his horse, but otherwise fine."

"Thank you," she said, feeling a small weight lift from her shoulders, only to accentuate that left behind, for Wolset. Its burden meant she rushed off without saying goodbye.

Inside the infirmary, she saw with dismay that many beds were laden with the injured, but barely registered any of the faces. At the very end of the room was a bed with a curtain pulled half round it, and she knew it was Wolset's. For now, she thought, I cannot worry for Lerant, because I carry a weight of guilt. She hurried across the breadth of the room, her expression such that no one dared intercept.

She drew near to his bed, and finally stopped to look at him. For one horrible, heart-stopping moment, she thought him dead; his face was paler than any she had seen, and his eyes were closed firmly. But she felt, with considerable relief, the warmth rolling off his body as she moved closer. Her entire body seemed to tremble with black guilt, which consumed her utterly.

Someone approached behind. "We gave him a sleeping draught," Neal said softly. "The amphitheres are indeed venomous, although we think not fatal. We are lucky to have a healer with some experience in the area, who prevented with various tactics the venom from causing any serious effects, and we have already administered an anti-venom, speeded with some charms. He'll be awake soon, if you want to sit by his side." Neal seemed to have noticed Kel was on the verge of tears, and patted her shoulder before leaving.

She took a stool and sat by his side for a long time, feeling the guilt heavy in her, and dwelling in it, for she felt she deserved to be punished.

He stirred some time near dusk, and took her hand, for at first she didn't notice he had woken. The corners of his mouth turned up in a weak smile, and she stared at him.

"Have you been here long?" he asked.

"A couple of hours, I think." She paused. "Wolset, I am so unbelievably sorry. You cannot imagine how guilty I have felt, losing my head in battle and causing you this. I had almost convinced myself you were going to die."

He still held her hand, and squeezed it reassuringly. "I think you are putting more weight on this situation than is due."

She smiled awkwardly. "Please don't brush it off like that. I almost want you to scold me."

"I think you have scolded yourself plenty," he grinned. He pressed her hand again, as if to prove he was in no serious state. "As it is, I'm glad you're okay; at least I didn't get bitten for nothing."

Kel looked down at her hands, feeling very small. "I'd like to repay you somehow."

He laughed. "You don't owe me anything."

"No, I do. If you need a favour, no matter what it is, just ask me. It'll make me feel better."

For a long time, she did not look at him, and he did not say anything.

Then he said, "If you want to do me a favour, go and check on Lerant. He's been staring at your back quite bitterly for several minutes now."

Startled, Kel looked over her shoulder, just in time to see Lerant, who glowered at her, avert his gaze. He was lying in the bed second-closest to the door, and, as usual, had his arms folded stubbornly.

Kel turned back to Wolset. "I will come visit you again," she said. He gripped her hand appreciatively and farewelled her. Timidly, not liking the look on Lerant's face, Kel crossed the room to his bed.

"Hello, Lerant," she said, and briefly thought she was foolish for trying to be nice to him. By his expression, he was not going to be kind back. "How are you?"

He did not look at her. "I am fine," he said, in a biting tone. The sarcasm was heavily evident. "Thank you for your concern."

Kel stared at him for some time, at once both dismayed and angered. Any temptation to speak was quickly quenched by the look on his face. He was, it seemed, holding _yet another_ petty grudge against her.

Bitterly, she strode out the room, not looking back despite her desire to. Lerant's attitude hurt her more than she cared to let him know.

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**Hello again. It feels like a disconcertingly short time since I last updated, and yet it's been a month and a half already... I have been reading furiously for the past week, and was suddenly struck with inspiration. Hm. Well, Happy New Year to everyone. I hope to update soon... (but how soon is soon?) Haha. Apparently my laziness has not changed all these years. (A couple of days ago, I passed my third anniversary here, and I find that quite hard to believe!! Things, it seem, change a lot, but writing sticks with me still.) Oh well, enough rambling. Thank you for reading, and for all your kind reviews! I greatly appreciate them.  
**


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